Red-sided Garter Snake
Garter snakes are pretty common here, but I've never been able to get a shot of one in the park. Happily this one decided to go for a swim across the pond and I got a few shots of it as it crossed the water. Even more happily it was the very colorful red-sided variant of garter snake coloration. It's a new species for my prairie wildlife species collection.
Garter snakes have an interesting mating practice when they come out of hibernation. Males come out of their dens and, as soon as the females begin coming out, surround them. Female garter snakes produce a specific pheromone that attracts male snakes in droves, sometimes leading to intense male to male competition and the formation of mating balls of up to 25 males per female.
Source and more species info: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garter_snake
Red-sided Garter Snake
Garter snakes are pretty common here, but I've never been able to get a shot of one in the park. Happily this one decided to go for a swim across the pond and I got a few shots of it as it crossed the water. Even more happily it was the very colorful red-sided variant of garter snake coloration. It's a new species for my prairie wildlife species collection.
Garter snakes have an interesting mating practice when they come out of hibernation. Males come out of their dens and, as soon as the females begin coming out, surround them. Female garter snakes produce a specific pheromone that attracts male snakes in droves, sometimes leading to intense male to male competition and the formation of mating balls of up to 25 males per female.
Source and more species info: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garter_snake