Garter Snakes on the Chippewa River Trail Traditional Cache
Garter Snakes on the Chippewa River Trail
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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The Common Garter Snake is the most common of the 21 types of snakes in Wisconsin. It is mostly dark colored, with a yellow stripe.
Snakes are ectothermic,which means that they must rely on their surroundings to control their body temperature. So, in the heat of the summer, they head underground or crawl into cool spaces or into areas with lots of vegetation. This keeps them cool in the heat of they day. On a cool day in the spring or fall, you might see a snake "sunning" itself out in the open where the sun can warm it up.
Most snakes found in Wisconsin are constrictors. They squeeze the life right out of their prey. They do this by wrapping their body around the animal and tightening until the prey can’t breathe any more.
Snakes have no eyelids and cannot blink. That’s why they just seem to stare at us from the garden.
You can find snakes living under boards and rocks, in brush piles, rocky ledges, stone walls or the edge of water.
Snakes smell the air with their tongue. They don’t sting with their tongue as some people think.
Snakes have smooth dry skin. They are not wet and slimy. Their bodies are covered with scales, small diamond shapes on the top and long rectangles on the bottom side. The underside scales are called "scutes." Scutes help the snake move by catching on stones, branches and other irregularities on the ground.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Ubyybj gnyy fghzc.