The sight of a hole in the ground often sparks curiosity, especially if a snake is nearby. While many assume snakes dig their own burrows, this article explores the truth about their relationship with the earth.
Do Snakes Really Dig?
While the term “snake hole” is common, most snakes do not actively dig their own burrows. They are opportunistic, using existing holes and tunnels created by other animals like rodents, chipmunks, voles, or crayfish. However, a specialized group, known as fossorial species, possess adaptations enabling them to burrow into soft soil. These true burrowers create their own subterranean spaces by moving through loose substrates.
How and Why Some Snakes Dig
Fossorial snakes exhibit specific physical traits that facilitate underground movement. Many have narrow, tapered heads no wider than their bodies, allowing efficient pushing through soil. Their skulls are specialized for burrowing, and smooth scales reduce friction as they navigate. Strong musculature provides the force for displacing soil and moving through tight spaces.
Snakes utilize burrows for several biological reasons. Underground environments offer stable temperatures, allowing snakes to regulate body temperature by escaping extreme heat or cold. These subterranean retreats also provide security from predators. Burrows serve as ideal locations for ambushing prey, laying eggs, and seeking increased humidity, beneficial during shedding. During colder periods, many snakes enter brumation, a form of hibernation, deep within burrows to shield themselves from freezing temperatures.
Identifying Snake Burrows and Coexisting
Identifying a hole specifically made or occupied by a snake can be subtle, as snakes typically use existing burrows rather than excavating their own. These holes often range from about half an inch to three inches in diameter, depending on the snake’s size. Unlike holes dug by rodents, snake-occupied openings usually have smooth, clean edges without piles of loose soil around the entrance, as snakes slide in and out without disturbing the surrounding earth. Signs of a snake’s presence might include shed snake skins nearby, snake droppings, or wavy tracks in the soil leading to the entrance.
If a hole is suspected to be used by a snake, maintaining distance is the recommended approach. Snakes are a natural form of pest control, consuming rodents, insects, and other small animals, which can benefit a property by reducing pest populations. Unless a snake poses a direct threat, it is best to leave it undisturbed. Attempting to fill in a hole might only cause the snake to relocate to another spot on the property. To discourage snakes, keeping grass mowed, clearing debris, and removing potential food sources like rodents can make an area less appealing.