![]() That hasn’t been documented yet in North Carolina, although I’ve known telemetered adults (one male, two females who had previously nested) to enter active nest chambers. In the Barrens, pine snakes sometimes nest communally, and females may reuse old nest chambers from previous years.Įggshells from PM25’s 2019 nest (all seven had hatched eggshells excavated Oct. So far, the nests I’ve found have been deeper, and in more shaded/canopied areas, than those documented in the Jersey Pine Barrens-perhaps because summers are hotter here. This is good information that’s hard to come by. unhatched, and record depth and dimensions of the nest chamber. Upon finding these (usually in late September or early October-later if I don’t find them), I’ll carefully dig up the nest and collect and preserve the eggshells, documenting the total number hatched vs. ![]() In September I begin checking the nest frequently, hoping to see shed natal skins, which would indicate that hatching has occurred. So, whenever I have a telemetered female out, I always feel excited and fortunate to find her nest and monitor it over the summer. The several I’ve monitored over the years have had a high hatch success rate (>95%). Most nests reported from North Carolina are ones I’ve found by following radio-telemetered females. My female PM11, caught in the act of digging (June 26, 2020).Ī disjunct northern pine snake population in the New Jersey Pine Barrens has been well-studied over the years, but outside that region, the species’ ecology and reproductive biology are less well known. The female may rest in the nest chamber for a day or two after laying her eggs, but then abandons them. A nest may take days to complete, the snake dragging out sand bit by bit and resting periodically. Pine snake eggs are larger than those of any other North Carolina snake (about chicken egg size), and their small clutches (4-12 usually about 7-8) represent a huge investment. A female pine snake excavates, using her only tools-her pointed nose, tipped with its large, heavy rostral scute, and her muscular body-a tunnel between two and five feet long, ending in a chamber large enough to contain her body and her egg clutch. Most of our 19 other egg-laying species just deposit their eggs in decaying vegetation, inside rotten logs or stumps, or beneath sheltering objects, but pine snakes put considerably more effort into the process. Nesting is a major undertaking for pine snakes. PM25’s newly completed nest this year (July 3, 2020). For such large snakes, they are surprisingly secretive, spending much time underground. Powerful, diurnal constrictors, pine snakes feed mostly on mammals and birds. A small population also occurs in Brunswick and (at least historically) New Hanover counties, and there are a few records from Cherokee and Swain counties in the southwestern Mountains. State-listed as Threatened, pine snakes occur primarily in our Sandhills region. melanoleucus) is among our largest and most impressive snakes, comparatively few North Carolinians have ever seen one. Images available upon requestĪlthough the northern pine snake ( Pituophis m.
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