Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Loving Snakes

Any good press is worth it, but I don't know if I agree with it....
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1.1 Ball Python 0.0.1 corn snake 1.0 Bearded Dragon
0.0.2 fish 1.2 cats 3.1 kids 1.0 husband and now...
0.0.1 Pink Zebra Beauty Tarantula
2.0 Solomon Island Boas

Can't say, but it is great press for snakes.

Frank
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"The luxury of not getting involved departed with the last lifeboat Skipper..."

I can't say that I've ever heard of snakes being "family oriented" persay. But as far as social behavior, there is a certain amount of evidence for this. There are several species that exhibit social behavior when hibernating and when mating. Among these are rattlesnakes, copperheads, and garter snakes. The Rattlers and copperheads here in the US tend to winter in large den areas with numbers of residents sometimes rising as high as several hundred. In southern canada there are garter snakes that over-winter in dens with numbers reaching into the thousands. These communal garter dens then become large breeding colonies in the early spring. I guess a case could be made linking these behaviors to social instincts. Other than that, though, I've never heard much about snakes exhibiting close social ties or a social hierarchy that is common with other so-called social animals.

Just some thoughts.

David Mac.

I have been monitoring several groups of Az. Black RAttlesnakes near my house for the last 15 years. Females are especially social. They return to the same gestation sites whenever they are gravid and each site will consist of several generations of mothers daughters and sisters. Non gravid siblings/ offspring will come and visit and join in the pile and then move on to forage. Certain sisters form the strongest bonds. I am also coming to the conclusion that most of the females at a site will have been impregnated by teh same male as I will see the same male visit the same females several times during the course of a summer. I have known many of these snakes since they were born and they never cease to amaze me and teach me something new.

at shedding time mid June.