Nature Friday: Snake and Frog

Amelia caught this drama on video. Warning: it shows a garter snake eating a green frog. Leave now if you can't watch that. It is fascinating but gruesome. 

Nature Friday at 
Adventures of the LLB Gang

_/\_/\_

Snake Skin

Skin of common garter snake

 

We have many snakes here about the house and this summer we saw then in all sizes. This is one of the many snake skins shed by the garter snakes this year.Catgirl and Ironman loved finding them, and loved watching the snakes sunning on the front stoop. This skin is particularly "gruesome" because it looks as if the snake's eye was pulled off with its skin (see below)! But it wasn't, of course. Some reflection or something is creating that impression. For more garter snake photos, visit my Common Garter Snake Set on Flickr. These skin photos are near the bottom of the set. Click on any photo in the set to view it and right click the photo to view it larger size.

Thamnophis sirtalis

_/\_/\_

Buddy the Mighty Hunter

Two-striped Grasshopper (Melanoplus bivittatus)

Buddy may not be hunting mice and chipmunks as Zorro is. But he's busy enough. Nearly daily, he is catching very large garter snakes and cute little grasshoppers. The snakes slither through the kitchen, the hoppers, well, they hop. With only 5 legs, but they hop. Every time Buddy brings one of these creatures into the house, he gives that "I've got prey" yowl that cats give, which wakes any sleeping cats immediately because they think this'll be good. After all, when Zorro gives that yowl with his prey, there's always a good time to be had! But one look at Buddy's prey? They all quickly return to bed.

Buddy & a Common Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis)

The photo here was extracted from Wingnut's Flip video when Wingnut was taping and came across Buddy's newest victim.


Technorati Tags: Two-striped Grasshopper, Melanoplus bivittatus, Common garter snake, Thamnophis sirtalis

_/\_/\_

Buddy's Snake

Thamnophis sirtalis

We came home one afternoon to find Buddy hopping about excitedly — because of this garter snake. The snake was trying to bite Buddy. They are not poisonous snakes but do inflict heavy vet bills, so we did not allow Buddy to harm it. I then photographed Buddy and the snake under the steps of the side door. Because the light was so poor I had to heavily adjust the shadows so that you could see them staring at each other.

You can see more, and better, photos of this snake here.

Common Garter Snake Photograph Set

Technorati Tags: common garter snake, Thamnophis sirtalis
_/\_/\_