Uncovering the Secrets of One of the Most Elusive Snakes in the Eastern US
How do you study an uncommon, secretive snake that spends most of its time underground and tends to flee when approached?
Northern pinesnakes are a rarely encountered species in the South Carolina Lowcountry, the location of the Francis Marion PARCA, or Priority Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Area. These beautiful snakes with dark blotches scattered along their backs and sides not only inhabit this PARCA; they’re native to several Eastern US states.
However, if you didn’t know they were there or didn’t know where to look, it’s unlikely that you’d ever see one. That’s because they tend to hunker down below the soil surface, and when aboveground, their camouflage and behavior make them very difficult to spot, and of course, even more challenging to study.
Plus, they’re becoming even harder to find because, despite their extensive range, this species is in decline. Habitat destruction and other threats have impacted their populations. With protected status in multiple states, including South Carolina, conservation efforts will be crucial to halt their decline.
Hence the need to uncover their secrets. For the last decade, our team at the Francis Marion PARCA has worked to better understand northern pinesnakes here using techniques including mark-recapture, remote camera trapping, and intensive surveys.
Now that we have a baseline understanding of the populations and where the snakes are, we need to better understand how they use the landscape so that we can best manage it for them.
To do so, this year, we more intensively began employing another technique: radiotelemetry, which allows us to track their movements via radio signals.
This effort began in spring when we set up drift fences in areas known to be used by northern pinesnakes. These cloth-like silt fences were designed to guide the snakes into traps, which we checked daily.
Most of the time, the traps were empty or had other species in them, like eastern spadefoots and southern black racers. However, on five occasions, we were delighted to see the flicker of a blotched tail or the slither of a cream-colored coil with dark mottling as we approached a trap.
Out of the five captured snakes, three were females and two were males. We fitted them with radio transmitters in collaboration with Charles Towne Landing State Park and local veterinarians, allowing us to track their movements.
Our team then began enthusiastically tracking them, finding each of them at least twice a week, which was always exciting. As Coastal Plains Program Coordinator Ben Morrison explained, “This project has been an amazing opportunity to study a secretive snake that I don’t get to see very often but have long been a fan of.”
And as a result, some unexpected secrets of the northern pinesnake were soon revealed. Over the summer, our team members were tracking one of the males and one of the females outfitted with transmitters. We followed the beeping of the radio receivers that were picking up the signals from their transmitters and tracked them to the same location.
We found a surprise: They were mating.
Soon afterward, we recaptured the female, which we named Mabel, and learned that she was gravid, which means she was carrying eggs. We then tracked her every day to monitor her and watch for her to select a nest site.
Then, Mabel disappeared for four days underground, signaling she’d likely chosen a nesting spot. In hopes of observing the hatchlings, we set up cameras and monitored the location. And it paid off.
While reviewing the video footage, we caught a glimpse of a little nose poking out of a hole in the ground. It was one of Mabel’s hatchlings. On the grainy video, we could see the tiny snake peek out to look aboveground, slither onto the surface for a moment, and then just as quickly disappear back into the burrow.
After that initial sighting, in total, we got to observe four of Mabel’s hatchlings, which measured about 1.5 feet long and had vivid markings and large brown eyes.
Beyond these amazing observations of the hatchlings, these efforts have provided insights into the movement and habitat requirements of this species within the PARCA, which was the primary aim. Ben summarized it well: “We’re still collecting important data on their status and distribution, but when we’re done, it’ll be like solving a mystery that will ultimately lead to better conservation for these imperiled snakes.”
We will continue monitoring these snakes through next spring, which will help us answer critical questions: Where do they spend their time? How do they use their habitat? What types of habitats are most vital to them? How much space do they need?
Once we have this information, we can use it to target our restoration efforts in key areas, not only to provide healthy habitats in the locations they use most but to connect populations and promote gene flow.
As Ben explained, “Once we’ve wrapped up the study and analyzed the data, we’ll be able to develop management plans for how best to protect them. That’s the ultimate goal—making a difference for this incredible species.”