I was invited to share our “longbabies” with a small group of friends and it was fantastic! One dude really pushed himself to overcome his anxieties about snakes and eventually asked for the full neck-wrap experience! That’s AMAZING! So proud of all these guys! They were very gentle with the…
When my wife’s adult-learning class started discussing stretching personal limits and overcoming fears, one classmate (first 2 pics) asked if my wife could help her overcome her ophidiophobia. Almost everyone in the class wanted in on the action, so they invited me to bring the snakes in for a class-visit. …
Thanks to CTV Atlantic News for giving our misunderstood native snakes an opportunity to shine. They’re mysterious and shy, but they really are some of the most wonderfully perfect creatures on Earth. They only want to live to face each new day of survival challenges… which are difficult enough without…
The Garter Snake (genus: Thamnophis) is the most common & successful snake species in North America, ranging from Northern Canada to Central America. Though common, there’s INCREDIBLE diversity in their colours, striping & pattern, which often results in them being mistaken for a dangerous species, but they’re entirely harmless to…
One of the most common misapprehensions about snakes that always surprises me a little is that people think snakes are “slimy.” Not so! Quite the opposite! Snake scales are made of keratin, the same substance your fingernails and hair are made of… a sort of “organic plastic.” If you’ve ever…
A common pet-peeve among snake enthusiasts is when folks refer to venomous snakes as “poisonous” when, in fact, only a handful of species are actually “poisonous.” I’ll explain… “Poison” is a toxin that must be INGESTED/eaten, so if you eat it and it makes you sick, then the animal is…
These are the skulls of typical colubrids, the largest family of snakes, including all of our local Nova Scotia species. Our only real “biters” are garter snakes, who tend to clamp on until you release them. Snakes have very tiny, recurved teeth that are designed to simply HOLD prey and…
Here we see our little Alice “in the blue.” Snake scales are made of keratin, the same stuff your fingernails are made of, a sort of “organic plastic.” One of the limitations having non-living skin is that it can’t grow, so it eventually becomes snug & uncomfortable. Every few months…
Happy Spring Bluenosers! As temperatures rise in the Maritimes, our cold-blooded wildlife will be waking up in the coming months and Snake Season will soon be upon us! I’d just like to remind my neighbours that ALL of our Nova Scotia snake species are completely harmless. There are NO…
