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Bull
Snakes make their home in the western, southern, and southeastern
United States. They grow up to five feet in length and are beige to
light brown with black or brown markings. Bull Snakes are carnivores
and kill their prey by squeezing it until it can no longer breath.
Although they make a hissing sound like a rattlesnake, they are not
venomous. |
| The
Prairie Rattlesnake was first noted by Lewis and Clark in June 1805,
near Great Falls, Montana. They are usually greenish to brownish in
color with well-defined blotches down the back. They have white to
yellowish lines on their heads that slant backward. The Prairie rattler
can be found in the central part of North America in grasslands, rocky
outcrops, talus slopes, and prairie dog
towns. |
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The
most noticeable part of the Western Hognose Snake is its upturned,
pointed (hognose) snout. It uses this snout to burrow through the
earth in search of toads, its favorite food. This heavy-bodied snake
ranges from 15 to 39 inches in length and is non-venomous. It prefers
to live in scrubby, flat prairie areas with loose, sandy soil for
burrowing. The hognose snake takes the prize among snakes in the bluffing
category. When threatened, it flattens the skin on its neck, which
gives it a hooded look, and then takes a huge breath and releases
the air with a loud hissing nose. Although the snake may strike, it
leaves its mouth closed! If you continue to bother this snake, it
will even fake its own death by thrashing from side to side, turning
on its back, hanging its tongue out of an open mouth, and finally
going limp. |
| The
Plains Garter Snake is found in prairie marshes, along pond edges,
and in river valleys throughout the Great Plains states. It is a non-venomous
snake, 20 to 40 inches long. They eat almost anything they can catch
and swallow, including earthworms, fish, frogs, toads, salamanders,
mice, and bird's eggs. |
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Photo by
Joshua L. Puhn
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Lewis
and Clark found the Northwestern Garter Snake slithering along near
present-day Townsend, Montana, on July 24, 1805. This brown, bluish,
or black colored snake has a distinct red, orange, or yellow stripe
down the middle of it's back; a stripe down the second and third scale
rows may be faint or absent. It is found in moist meadows, grassy
patches, and along the edges of thickets. |
| Commonly
called "Blue-bellies" or "Swifts," the Western
Fence Lizard is about 6 inches long, and ranges in color from gray
to black, with dark blotches on the back and tail. Male lizards have
bright blue bellies (hence their nickname) and yellow on the undersides
of their legs. This lizard enjoys sitting on high points, like fence
posts, where it can sun itself and watch for food and predators. It
can change its color to match its background. |
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