Land Snakes Alive!

What animal is almost universally feared and despised? The serpent! The Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens has developed a unique "citizen science" conservation project entitled Land Snakes Alive! that will attempt to dispel the myths about these little understood creatures.

With 130 acres, the zoo is fortunate to have several species of snakes that are frequently seen in the public areas. Land Snakes Alive is a pilot study that involves capturing, tagging, releasing, and re-capturing the snakes on zoo property. Much of the work will be conducted in front of guests, as the snakes are found. This will provide a one-on-one interaction with a zoo "scientist".

The top photo shows a yellow rat snake in a tree with the second one showing a keeper catching it. In the next image, a keeper is inserting the transponder, or "chip". The transponder is about the size of a large grain of rice and is placed in the muscle, along the side, just in front of the vent (cloaca).

At the bottom, the transponder is checked by the hand-held reader which displays the 10-digit number. Besides conducting real snake population science, staff will have an "ice breaker" for questions from curious guests. The zoo will be able to survey if this type of experience can change attitudes about the controversial snake.

Photos by D. Ferri