{"id":1665,"date":"2019-12-03T09:30:05","date_gmt":"2019-12-03T16:30:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/?p=1665"},"modified":"2019-12-03T15:41:13","modified_gmt":"2019-12-03T22:41:13","slug":"a-winter-snakes-tale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/science\/a-winter-snakes-tale\/","title":{"rendered":"A Winter Snake\u2019s Tale"},"content":{"rendered":"

While we finally have some snow sticking to the ground, you may (or may not) have noticed that the snakes have vanished from sight. That\u2019s because snakes are ectothermic, or cold-blooded, and rely on the surrounding environment to regulate their body temperature. As the days become shorter and the weather gets colder, snakes must be free from frost to survive the winter.<\/p>\n

Ways to Sleep Through Winter<\/h2>\n

Many animals hibernate or migrate during this time. Bears gorge on food to store in their bodies and then go into a deep sleep to survive the long winter. Snakes also enter a state of winter dormancy called brumation.<\/p>\n

During brumation, a snake\u2019s metabolism and heart rate slows down as its body temperature lowers with the weather. This means that the energy they need from food also decreases. Brumation is not a complete hibernation; whereas bears will sleep for months during their hibernation, snakes are awake but more lethargic. Their bodies don\u2019t completely shut down to sleep the winter away. Being ectothermic, they also do not need fat reserves. Their metabolism slows down so much that they barely use any energy over the entire winter.<\/p>\n

When a snake decides to bed down for winter, it prepares by clearing out its entire digestive system. If they continue to eat until brumation, that food in their system will rot inside of them, and they will not survive due to poisoning. Snakes usually eat more leading up to the winter months so they can use the stored energy to survive the cold season. Additionally, they rely on a type of sugar stored in their bodies that can also be used as energy. This allows them to save the energy from their stored fats and gives them a head start on reproduction come spring.<\/p>\n

A Snake Sleepover<\/h2>\n

Snake brumation can begin anytime from September to December and last until March or April, depending on weather patterns. So where do snakes go when they disappear for the winter?<\/p>\n

Before snakes enter brumation in the wild, they will look for a nice hideout, often getting below the frostline. Typically, this can be hollow logs, tree stumps, caves, deep caverns, rock crevices, and abandoned woodwork\u2014places unlikely to be disturbed by the elements. Snakes also seek shelter in warm, secure places such as old or active prairie dog burrows and dens made by squirrels, other rodents, or even other snakes.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s right. Snakes may share the den with other snakes. Sometimes there will be as many as 100 snakes in one cave den. Their group site is called a hibernaculum, and what better way to keep warm than by using the body heat from other snakes to better survive the winter? Males, females, babies, and even different species are welcome to share the den! There is no discriminating when the main goal is survival.<\/p>\n

Once in hiding, snakes will stay there most of the time. They are technically still awake, but you won\u2019t see them moving around. Snakes are more vulnerable in consistently cold weather than during the changing of seasons. Just like hikers want to take advantage of a warm spell in the winter, brumating snakes may come out of their dens to bask in the sunshine. They might pop their head out, have a look around, find some water to drink, and then go back to where they were hiding again.<\/p>\n

Snakes play an important role in our ecosystem, keeping it healthy by being both predators and prey. In the springtime when the temperature is consistently warm, our Colorado snakes poke out of their winter resting spots and embrace the days ahead. They will resume normal activity and start looking for a mate and some grub.<\/p>\n

Until then, if you\u2019re gathering wood for fire this winter and stumble across a hibernaculum, thinking \u201cwhy did it have to be snakes?!,\u201d just remember that all snakes want is to be curled up and left alone to sleep. So be a friend and just put the log back.<\/p>\n

\"Racer
As many as 100 brumating snakes may share a den<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

While we finally have some snow sticking to the ground, you may (or may not) have noticed that the snakes have vanished from sight. That\u2019s because snakes are ectothermic, or cold-blooded, and rely on the surrounding environment to regulate their body temperature. 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Winter in Colorado is a special time to snuggle up inside and stay warm. Hibernating animals are especially good at snuggling up to sleep for the winter! Humans have many ways to stay comfortable in the winter. We use\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Detectives"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Detectives","link":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/category\/nature-detectives\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Nature Detectives wordmark and a large bear peeks into a garbage can for food","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMAGES-WEBSITE-FEATURED-IMAGE-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMAGES-WEBSITE-FEATURED-IMAGE-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMAGES-WEBSITE-FEATURED-IMAGE-2.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMAGES-WEBSITE-FEATURED-IMAGE-2.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMAGES-WEBSITE-FEATURED-IMAGE-2.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1273,"url":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/nature-detectives\/bull-snakes-awe-sssss\/","url_meta":{"origin":1665,"position":3},"title":"Bull Snakes Are Awe-sssss-some","author":"Staff","date":"08\/30\/2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The slender bull snake lay coiled out of the sun, sheltered beneath a big rock. It had feasted on mice, voles and pocket gophers during spring and summer, and had grown to six feet in length. Soon it would move into the hibernation den it shared with other kinds of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Detectives"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Detectives","link":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/category\/nature-detectives\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Nature Detectives","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/nature-detectives-snake.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/nature-detectives-snake.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/nature-detectives-snake.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/nature-detectives-snake.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/nature-detectives-snake.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/nature-detectives-snake.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2184,"url":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wildlife\/snakes-alive-are-you-rattled\/","url_meta":{"origin":1665,"position":4},"title":"Snakes Alive – Are you Rattled?","author":"Staff","date":"05\/31\/2022","format":false,"excerpt":"As the weather warms up, snakes, cold-blooded animals, come out of winter dormancy and prowl in search of edible, small critters. From about mid-April to October, depending on the year\u2019s weather, you may find them along local trails, especially in grasslands, agricultural areas, or grassy meadow and rocky outcrops in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Wildlife"","block_context":{"text":"Wildlife","link":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/category\/wildlife\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"bull snake","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/bullsnake.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/bullsnake.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/bullsnake.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/bullsnake.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/bullsnake.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/bullsnake.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":722,"url":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/science\/autumn-transition-trees-bears-and-bats\/","url_meta":{"origin":1665,"position":5},"title":"Autumn Transition: Trees, Bears and Bats","author":"Staff","date":"08\/27\/2015","format":false,"excerpt":"That first morning you awaken to a cool nip in the air. That first aspen leaf tinged gold on the tip. Geese flying south in formation across a clear blue sky. A dusting of snow sprinkled atop Longs Peak. These are all signs that fall is in the air, and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Science"","block_context":{"text":"Science","link":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/category\/science\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Aspen trees","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/aspen.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/aspen.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/aspen.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/aspen.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/aspen.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1665","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1665"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1665\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1669,"href":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1665\/revisions\/1669"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1666"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1665"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1665"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bouldercountyopenspace.org\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1665"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}