Living in South Carolina, everyone knows to be cautious of snakes like copperheads, timber rattlesnakes and cottonmouths during the warm weather but what about the cold weather we experience at times during the winter? Where do snakes go in the winter in SC? Let’s take a look at snake biology and how they survive the colder temperatures during the winter months.
Snakes are Cold-Blooded
The first thing to know is that snakes are cold-blooded just like amphibians, insects, other reptiles, fish and worms. What this means is that snakes cannot regulate their own body heat so their body temperature is whatever the temperature outside is. For example, if it is 60 degrees out, the snake’s body temperature will be 60 degrees also. This is different from mammals, birds and humans which are warm-blooded. Warm-blooded animals and humans can regulate their body temperature and don’t depend on the outside temperature for their body heat.
Snake Hiding Places
To survive the colder temperatures of the wintertime, snakes will find hiding places where they can brumate (more on brumation in a bit). They’ll find rock crevices, burrows, hide under logs or rocks and settle down in tree stumps. However, habitat loss and building have destroyed some of the natural places where snakes would naturally settle down for the winter so it’s important to keep an eye out for them in sheds, barns, wood piles, basements and crawlspaces. Snakes will shelter anywhere they can find to escape the cold so if their natural choices are not available, they might bunker down in places less desirable to people.
Snakes and Brumation
Cold-blooded animals do not hibernate like warm-blooded animals do. However, they do enter a state of suspended activity called brumation. During brumation, the snake’s activity level, heart rate, respiration and body temperature drop. The animal becomes mostly inactive or sluggish when activity is needed such as in self-defense. Brumation is similar to hibernation but not the same as on warm days, brumating animals can wake up and move around, drink water to rehydrate and warm themselves up in the sun. Hibernating animals do not wake up during the winter and will remain dormant until spring and consistent warm weather.
While we don’t often see snakes in the winter, they are still out there. They take shelter and enter a state of brumation. Beware though that if you are digging through your barn, shed, crawlspace, basement or wood pile, you might find a snake sheltering there for the winter. It’s best to leave them be and leave them alone as moving them or “waking” them can lead to the animal being unable to survive the winter temperatures.