Why 30,000+ Snakes Gather in One Place Every Spring
Every spring, thousands of red-sided garter snakes emerge at Narcisse Snake Dens in Manitoba. This annual event is for reproduction, not migration or hunting. Males gather around females in a mating ball, guided by chemical signals. The snakes the...
Every year during springtime, Narcisse Snake Dens in Manitoba becomes an amazing site for wildlife observation in North America. Hundreds of thousands of red-sided garter snakes start coming out of their underground homes near the snake dens within several days. It would be easy to conclude that the presence of so many animals at one place makes it special, but the story doesn’t end there. As it is explained by a report from the Proceedings of the Royal Society B journal, there are highly developed denning systems with up to tens of thousands of snakes. Nevertheless, it is not about hunting or migration; it is about reproduction.
Why does the “mating ball” happen?
The most obvious behavior displayed at Narcisse is known as a mating ball, according to research literature. Many males aggregate around one particular female in competition for mating rights. Research published in PubMed Central databases indicates that timing and chemoreception are responsible for causing this specific mating pattern in snakes, and pheromones play a crucial role in the mating ritual of snakes. It has been discovered that chemical information in the air assists male snakes in locating female snakes, even within a congested environment. In fact, this system functions because it is structured rather than chaotic.
The number itself is less significant than the fact that the snakes gather there every year in a repetitive manner, referred to as site fidelityImage Credit: Gemini
Numbers can be misleading
While the figure of 70,000 snakes, or even more, is intriguing, it should be understood that according to scientific research conducted, the number is estimated to be as much as 30,000 for den systems specifically. Such an amount does not diminish the phenomenon. In fact, it only makes it more accurate. The number itself is less significant than the fact that the snakes gather there every year in a repetitive manner, referred to as site fidelity. Through this process, the population density is created. This gathering can seem strange because it includes many snakes gathered within a short time period. Afterward, during the off-season, the snakes scatter.
