Stan C. Smith
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Books
    • Peregrine Outpost Series >
      • Primal Eclipse
      • Feral Colony
      • Forbidden Refuge
      • Desolate Station
    • Across Horizons Series >
      • Genesis Sequence
      • Obsolete Theorem
      • Foregone Conflict
      • Hostile Emergence
      • Binary Existence
    • Fused Series >
      • Training Day
      • Rampage Ridge
    • Bridgers Series >
      • Infinity: A Bridger's Origin
      • Bridgers 1: The Lure of Infinity
      • Bridgers 2: The Cost of Survival
      • Bridgers 3: The Voice of Reason
      • Bridgers 4: The Mind of Many
      • Bridgers 5: The Trial of Extinction
      • Bridgers 6: The Bond of Absolution
      • Bridgers 1-3 Box Set
      • Bridgers 4-6 Box Set
    • Diffusion Series >
      • Diffusion
      • Infusion
      • Profusion
      • Savage
      • Blue Arrow
      • Diffusion Box Set
    • Resonant Dust Series >
      • Resonant Dust: Stories - Volume 1
      • Resonant Dust: Stories - Volume 2
      • Resonant Dust: Stories - Volume 3
    • Parthenium's Year
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Books
    • Peregrine Outpost Series >
      • Primal Eclipse
      • Feral Colony
      • Forbidden Refuge
      • Desolate Station
    • Across Horizons Series >
      • Genesis Sequence
      • Obsolete Theorem
      • Foregone Conflict
      • Hostile Emergence
      • Binary Existence
    • Fused Series >
      • Training Day
      • Rampage Ridge
    • Bridgers Series >
      • Infinity: A Bridger's Origin
      • Bridgers 1: The Lure of Infinity
      • Bridgers 2: The Cost of Survival
      • Bridgers 3: The Voice of Reason
      • Bridgers 4: The Mind of Many
      • Bridgers 5: The Trial of Extinction
      • Bridgers 6: The Bond of Absolution
      • Bridgers 1-3 Box Set
      • Bridgers 4-6 Box Set
    • Diffusion Series >
      • Diffusion
      • Infusion
      • Profusion
      • Savage
      • Blue Arrow
      • Diffusion Box Set
    • Resonant Dust Series >
      • Resonant Dust: Stories - Volume 1
      • Resonant Dust: Stories - Volume 2
      • Resonant Dust: Stories - Volume 3
    • Parthenium's Year
  • Contact
  • Subscribe

In our neck of the woods… more critters found near our home

8/13/2024

0 Comments

 
The first photo is an EASTERN MILKSNAKE. Milksnakes are actually a type of kingsnake. They got their name from an old myth that these snakes get into barns, latch on to the teats of cows, and suck out the milk. I’m not kidding. Of course it isn’t true, but farmers may have come up with this because they found milksnakes in their barn (the snakes were actually there to feed on mice). Maybe a farmer was frustrated by a cow that wasn’t producing enough milk, then blamed it on a snake found nearby? Milksnakes are an example of Batesian mimicry, in which a harmless species resembles a harmful species as a form of protection. Many of the 24 subspecies of milksnakes overlap with venomous coral snakes. The resemblance is unmistakable. However, Missouri does not have coral snakes. But our eastern milksnake is still considered a mimic of the copperhead, even though the colors don’t match. In this case, it is the patterns that are similar. Remember, not all predators can see colors, but they can see patterns, and the eastern milksnake’s pattern is close enough to a copperhead’s pattern to fool some animals into leaving the snake alone.

The second photo is a WESTERN WORM SNAKE. Few people ever see these snakes because they live in the soil and under rocks and logs. Their bright pink belly is a striking feature. These harmless little snakes have a hard, pointy tip at the end of their tail, and when attacked, they will poke the attacker with this tip, which sometimes startles the attacker, allowing the snake to escape. Because of this, some people claim this snake can sting. But this isn’t really a sting because the snake has no venom in its tail. In fact, the tail won’t even pierce skin. Another defense is, when picked up, they wriggle like crazy, making them hard to hold. A third defense is, like some other snakes, they secrete bad-smelling gunk when picked up. Trust me, it’s nasty stuff. Worm snakes love to eat earthworms, which they grab by one end and swallow alive.

Gotta love snakes, am I right?
Picture
Picture

Photo Credits:
Milk snake and worm snake - Stan C. Smith
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Stan's Cogitations

    Everyone needs a creative outlet. That's why I write.

    Subscribe to my newsletter for even more fun stuff!

    Archives

    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    February 2017
    December 2016
    September 2016
    June 2016
    March 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015

    RSS Feed