The giant snake likes to stay hidden, but can be found in some Douglas-fir and Garry oak biomes.
The dangerous sharp-tailed snake has been reported as far north as Ladysmith in recent years, and anecdotal reports suggest that residents of the Nanaimo area.
Laura Matthias is an environmental consultant and member of the regional sharp snake recovery team, planning and collaborating with the BC Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship. The last 25 years of his career focused on wildlife biology including research into snakes.
“Given that we already have a location in Ladysmith, it’s likely that they’re going further north where there’s the best housing on Vancouver Island on the north side of that, and there’s an expansion that’s on the south side of Vancouver Island. in the west, going to Sooke. and Langford, to those parts we have not known for years,” said Matthias. “Through research efforts or other people finding them and posting them, we know they’re in a few other areas where it’s a good habitat for them.”
The sharp snake is a small species, reaching 30 centimeters. In Canada, it is found in coastal Douglas fir and Garry oak habitats on some Gulf Islands and south to central Vancouver Island, where it feeds on slugs as a staple animal food. Adult snakes are reddish brown in color, while juvenile snakes are reddish in color. The species does not harm humans and rarely bites.
But what experts know about their geography is changing. In recent years, researchers have found a greater distribution going north on the Island, and Matthias said that there is even a film on Lasqueti Island.
“Not that long ago, we only knew a few sightings, most of them were history and technology and many people were able to post when they saw something in public and make it confirmed and have photos, it helps to increase the knowledge of the exact range of the species.”
To find individual snakes, researchers place black asphalt shingles in the study area. Shingles are attracted to the heat that attracts snakes, creating an easier and less harmful way to find them than digging around in the rotten leaves and rotting plants that snakes like. do you live.
Matthias tests using eDNA tests, which, in some cases, show the presence of snakes by washing shingles, even when snakes are not present.
He said one challenge for obtaining location data is that the snakes are well hidden in their habitat.
“You almost don’t see them spitting out the sun on the surface, like people do. [with] garter snakes… we know from research from various colleagues recently, as suspected, they are active at night and come out at night which is another reason why we rarely see them on the surface.”
Matthias said that although the team can sometimes find snakes quickly, sometimes it can take years to study a place.
“Some sites are three years or four years or eight years of research [before] “We finally found a snake, so it’s difficult for them to look into that area for a long time,” he said.
Although the team has not seen the snake before in the Nanaimo area, half a dozen posts on iNaturalist show the sharp-tailed snake in the south of the city on private land. Matthias said that a Facebook group of creators also helped identify potential sources.
“We don’t get anywhere, just regions, so not all the data is very useful…but it lets us know that there are people finding them in that region.”
If anyone spots what they believe to be a long-tailed snake and has a photo, Matthias advises that they contact the Nanaimo and Area Land Trust by email at stewardship@nalt.bc.ca.
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