Ask A Naturalist Q & A

Hey there baffled beyond belief. We've got some information for you about mating in snakes. Let's start from the beginning.

The mating season for most snake species is spring, but some may mate in the fall instead. Most of our snakes in KY are spring maters. Several things can help a snake know when it's time to mate. Longer days, humidity, and changes in weather can all be signs to a snake that spring is here and it's time to settle down and find a mate. Female snakes also emit odors called pheromones that attract the males and signal that she is ready to mate. It's sort of like when a woman uses perfume to catch the attention of a passing guy. Males will "smell" these pheromones when they flick out their tongues and track the female down. Sometimes more than one male finds the female and a battle takes place between the males. Male rat snakes, kingsnakes, and rattlesnakes have ritualized fights to see who is stronger and gets to mate with the female. Each male raises up its head into the air to see who can get the highest. Then they try and push the other one down to the ground and pin it, a little like WWE wrestling. Once one male shows that he is stronger, the other male will leave. Snakes are usually not harmed during these battles and biting is rare. In species where male combat occurs, the males are usually larger than the females.

In other species, like garter snakes, a bunch of males will swarm the female when she emerges from hibernation. Female garter snakes are usually larger than the males, and the smaller males chase after her and wrap around her. Often they form a large mass of snakes all wrapped up together, called mating balls. Now male garter snakes are tricky. Sometimes the males will emit pheromones that smell like a female to confuse other males and lure them away from the actual female. That way they can sneek in and mate with her. After mating the males will release another pheromone that can temporarily make other males unable to mate. So instead of fighting with force like the other snakes, they use chemical warfare.

Once a male wins the right to mate with the female, copulation is very simple. Usually the male slithers up along the female and may intertwine his body with hers. In some snakes the males may even bite the female on the back of the head or neck to make sure she doesn't get away. Not the smoothest move in the book, but I guess it works! When he wraps around her, he makes sure that his cloaca is lined up with hers. The cloaca is an opening on the underside of the snake near the tail where the sexual organs are located. If the female is ready to mate, she lifts up her tail and allows the male to copulate with her. Male snakes have two reproductive organs, called hemipenes, that come out of their cloaca when they are ready to mate. A male will only use one hemipene at a time, and it inserts it into the females cloaca. The male then releases the sperm and internally fertilizes the females. After copulation, the male may stay around for awhile and make sure no other males try to mate with his woman. Once his job is done, the snakes go their separate ways and will probably not see each other ever again.

Now that mating is over, the female will either fertilize her eggs with the sperm, or she may store it in a special organ and fertilize the eggs at a later date. Some female snakes in captivity have laid eggs up to a year or two after they last mated! They may do this when conditions are bad after mating, such as when food is scarce. Once she finally fertilizes the eggs, then the female either lays hers eggs or they begin to develop in her body, depending on the species of snake. About half the snakes in KY lay eggs, such as rat snakes, kingsnakes, and milk snakes, while the other half bear live young that emerge from the female's cloaca when they are fully developed. Live bearers include garter snakes, water snakes, and all the venomous snakes in KY. The egg-layers typically lay groups of eggs, called clutches, that can have anywhere from a few eggs to over 100! Once she lays the eggs in a hidden place (like under a rock or log or underground) the female usually leaves and does not take care of the young once they hatch. In live-bearers, the female may stay with the newborns for awhile, but leaves them after a few days or weeks. So once the young snakes hatch or emerge from the female, reproduction is over and the female resumes her normal activities. And that's pretty much it.

Here is a website that also has some info on mating in snakes. http://www.szgdocent.org/resource/rr/c-love.htm

You might also find some stuff if you just search for "mating in snakes" or "snakes and reproduction" on the internet.

If you have any other questions or any of this info is unclear, just let me know. I hope this helps you on your project.

Good luck,
Seth Bishop
EKPC Biologist
(859) 745-9628
seth.bishop@ekpc.coop

Do they have all of these animals at the pet store?
(Hogestt Elementary - Inter-County Energy)

When we come to your school, we only bring animals that are native to Kentucky - that is, they were caught in the wild somewhere in this awesome state! Some pet stores sell native animlas, but most have exotic animals from other states or counties.
 

Do you have more animals where you work?
(Hogestt Elementary - Inter-County Energy)

Right now, we have 19 big snakes, 10 small snakes, a glass lizard, three fence lizards, an eastern hellbender, 50 terrestrial salamanders, 10 gray treefrogs, and two green treefrogs. We only bring some of our animals to school each day. The rest of them are relaxing in their cages here at the office or are out on an assignment with another group. Our animals work hard!

Why do we have to put water on our hands to hold amphibians, but not reptiles?
(Hogestt Elementary - Inter-County Energy)

Amphibians do not have much protection from germs, since only a thin layer of slime covers their skin. Reptiles have scales, which helps to shield them from bacteria. Also, some amphibians breathe through their skin, so it is especially important to protect their skin from the oils on your hands.

What is the difference between frogs and toads?
(Lauren Hohman - EKPC)

Toads, typically have wartier skin and shorter legs that frogs. Frogs, with their long legs jump and toads hop. Most toads lay their eggs in long strands, while frog eggs are laid in large masses. Frogs and toads both belong to the order Salientia or Ecaudata (tailless). Toads are a member of the family Bufonidue, while the rest of the frogs belong to one of the other six families within the order Salientia.

How do snakes mate?
(South Kentucky Rural Electric)

When a female snake is ready to mate she emits a pheromone ( a chemical scent that signals her readiness to mate), which is then picked up by a male in the area. The male follows his tongue (not his nose, since snakes can "smell" chemical molecules with their tongues) to the female, pulls his body alongside hers, and begins to vibrate. If there's "love at first sight", the female will raise her tail and allow the male to insert on of his two hemipenes into her cloaca. The pair then mate from ten minutes to 24 hours.

Where do salamanders live?
(Miranda Byrd, Eli Brown Elementary, Salt River RECC)

Overall, most salamanders do live in cool, dark places. The ones that live in streams generally hide under rocks during the day. The woodland salamanders like to live under rotting logs and rocks where it is nice and dark and damp.

Do all frogs live in wet places?
(Miranda Byrd, Eli Brown Elementary, Salt River RECC)

Frogs like it wet, too! However, I have seen tree frogs hanging out in trees during the day, and leopard frogs can often be found in grassy areas hanging out around the roots eating bugs and worms (I prefer pizza). If you are going to look for frogs, though, you should concentrate your efforts on small ponds and mudpuddles. These places usually have less fish that could eat the tadpoles, so you'll have more frogs to catch.

Do snakes just live in dry places?
(Miranda Byrd, Eli Brown Elementary, Salt River RECC)

Not all snakes live in dry places. Northern water snakes like to hang around - you guessed it - water. They are found near creeks, ponds, and swamps all over Kentucky. Queen snakes live their entire lives around streams and eat crayfish that have just shed their skin (they are much softer to eat that way). - Very cool! Queen snakes and northern water snakes are both found around Bardstown, so you may get lucky and see one in a creek. Cottonmouths are venomous water snakes that like the swamps in western KY, but you will never find one around Bardstown.

Do frogs or salamanders eat snakes ?
(Miranda Byrd, Eli Brown Elementary, Salt River RECC)

I have never heard of a salamander eating a snake, but I am sure hellbenders and amphiumas (two kinds of aquatic salamanders) occasionally eat small water snakes. As far as frogs go, bullfrogs will occasionally eat small water snakes, too! Bullfrogs will eat just about anything that will fit in their mouths, including other frogs. There is a picture of a bullfrog eating a snake on page 556 of the 1998 version of The Peterson Field Guide of Reptiles and Amphibians - Eastern/Central North America.

What are the stages of a salamander's metamorphosis ?
(Lee Bush)

Salamanders are a type of amphibian, which means they can live on both land and in water.  In Kentucky, most amphibians start their lives as embyros or eggs.  Although they begin as just one cell, in a matter of days the cells multiply so that the embryo has a head, a tail, gills, and even a heart!   Once these little guys leave the egg, they’re called hatchlings.  At this point, they develop a mouth, teeth, veins, and sometimes spiracles (holes in their body through which they take in air).  Anyone who isn’t eaten as a hatchling (unfortunately these guys are really good eatin’ for lots of other aquatic critters!) will develop into a larva.  Larvae (more than one larva, also called tadpoles) sprout out hindlimbs while growing bigger.  To get bigger salamander tadpoles like to eat other smaller larvae, as well as tiny insects in the water (kind of like eating only cheeseburgers!).  Frog larvae feed on algae and other plant material (they actually really like peas!).  Finally, tadpoles become metamorphs, the last stage before adulthood.  Metamorphs have noses, their mouths are bigger (the better to eat with!), they grow front limbs, and if they’re frogs, they lose their tails.  For most amphibians, this whole process takes only a matter of months.  However, some can transform in a matter of weeks, while others may take up to two years.