When Is Snake Season? A Complete Guide To Predicting Snake ...

Body Heat

It really just comes down to this.

Snakes are “cold-blooded” animals and are usually sighted basking in the sun. But the term “cold-blooded” is a bit misleading and for that reason is also a bit outdated.

You may think that being “cold-blooded” means that snakes are naturally cold and use the sun’s heat to warm themselves up. That notion is only partially right.

To really understand a snake’s body heat situation we should take a step back and define some vocabulary.

HOMEOTHERMIC vs POIKILOTHERMIC

Humans are homeotherms (homeo = same, therm = temperature), which means our body temperature stays the same regardless of the outside temperature.

Snakes, and all “cold-blooded” animals are poikilothermic (poikilo = irregular, therm = temperature). A poikilothermic animal’s body temperature changes with the outside temperature. If the weather is hot, its body temperature will become hot. If the weather is cold, its body temperature will become cold.

But just because a snake can survive at different body temperatures doesn’t mean that it can function the same at all temperatures. There are some bodily functions for which a snake needs warmth and some for which it needs cool.

And that brings us to our next piece of vocabulary.

ECTOTHERMIC vs ENDOTHERMIC

Humans are endothermic (endo = inside), which means that our body temperature is regulated from within our body. Most of our body heat comes from our metabolism. Snakes, as with other reptiles, are ectothermic (ecto = outside), which means that their body heat is mostly produced from outside their bodies.

So humans are homeothermic endotherms and snakes are poikilothermic ectotherms. Clear as mud, right? Here are some examples of other animal types, for the science nerds out there (Chipmunks: The Poikilothermic Endotherm).

The takeaway here is that snakes need to use outside sources to regulate their body temperature. Their quest to do that is the main driver behind snake season.

Best Temperatures for Snakes

In order to move and eat, snakes rely on chemical reactions in their muscles. At cold temperatures, these reactions are slow and at warm temperatures they are fast.

These chemical reactions are optimal at body temperatures are between 70 - 90 degrees Farenheit. Below 60 degrees Farenheit, snakes become sluggish. Above 95 degrees F, snakes become overheated.

Fall/Winter

As the warm autumn months come to and end and the average daytime temperature approaches a snake’s lower limit, its body temperature will decrease making it sluggish. It is less likely to find prey and more likely to become prey. To protect itself, the snake will “den up” underground, either alone or with others, until spring.

In cold, snowy climes, the snake will enter the deep sleep of hibernation.

In warmer climes, the snake won’t hibernate but will instead brumate. During brumation, a snake’s body acclimates to colder weather, its metabolism slows, and it becomes less inclined to feed.

On an unseasonably warm day, a brumating snake can sometimes come out of its den to find easily-captured prey. Nice sunny days that follow a long cold streak are when people are most often surprised by snakes.

Whether hibernating or brumating, the cooler body temperature and reduced activity is necessary for the snake to produce sperm in time for the spring breeding season.