Garter Snake Out In Winter?

     It's been very wet and warm recently. about a foot of snow melted away in just 24 hours. Ditches have transformed into temporary ponds, water flows down the sides of roads, and most importantly, the ground has completely thawed. I walked to Juniper Hill today, to search for a lost trail camera (I thankfully ended up finding it.) I spotted a small black and yellow coiled up snake. A Common Garter Snake. 

 

When I found it, I actually thought it was dead for a second. It wasn't moving at all, and had an open wound. I'm guessing it was inflicted by a predator, in the fall, before hibernation, and the poor thing has been suffering underground, all winter. I'm not sure if the wound will heal, as the snake's metabolism speeds up, or if the wound will kill the snake, by infection, or preventing the thing from hunting and evading predators. That's probably exactly what caused the cut: predators. The garter snake is a tiny creature, and has a ton of predators to watch out for, including turkey vultures, osprey, hawks, bald eagles, owls, ravens, crows, turkeys, herons, foxes, raccoons, coyotes, opossums, fishers, minks, otters, skunks, bobcats, domestic cats and dogs, bullfrogs, snapping turtles, water snakes, and even other garter snakes. Garter Snakes are harmless, and their skin is soft, so they are easy prey.

...Which is probably why it slid under a log after a few seconds...

...As it continues basking over the next few days, it's body temperature will steadily increase, and therefore, so will it's metabolism. Once it's bodily functions have completely returned to normal, the first thing that garter snakes do is breed. Before it eats, hydrates, or hunts, they go straight to reproduction.

 Males will seek out a female's scent, and will then compete to lock cloaca with the female. There are some great videos on YouTube. just google "Garter Snake Balls". yes, so many males will try the mate with the female, that it forms a massive pile/ball of snakes. These snake balls form all over North America, from Vancouver Island, all the way down to Florida, to north In Newfoundland.

Looking back on the photos I noticed something funny. The snake must've just emerged, like minutes before I arrived, because there was a SLUG hitching a ride on the thing's neck. Slugs are a major part of a Garter Snake's diet, so the little guy's lucky the snake was still lethargic.

Thank You For Reading!