Perry 1
James Perry
Dr. Riley-Brown
College Writing 105:12
February 11, 2009
Lake of the Snakes
Lake Erie is inhabited by a snake very specific to the region. The snake is so specific that
researchers and scientists even call it the Lake Erie water snake. The snakes have major
populations on all the islands in western Lake Erie except West Sister Island. The Lake Erie
water snake is federally listed as a threatened species. The snake has a either a complete grey
coloring or an incomplete banded coloration. The snake is not poisonous but it will bite if it is
cornered or feels threatened. It can grow to between one and a half to three and a half feet in
length. They are a bottom feeding species and feed on fish and amphibians.
The Lake Erie Water Snake plays a large role in the food chain of Lake Erie. It is one of
the major predators of the Round Goby fish. The Round Goby is an invasive species of fish.
The goby is taking over sites that other fish have used for decades as spawning grounds and the
goby fish is brought over on some ship and immediately starts taking over spawning sites. The
goby is a fish that is prone to massive population booms which causes them to expand and take
over more ground. There are other predators of the round goby but the snake is one of the major
predators of the goby. According to Research Associate Kristin Stanford and PH.D. student at
Ohio State, “the snakes are an important predator as well as food source...they definitely have a
significant role in the food chain” (Stanford). She thinks that if the Lake Erie water snake were
Perry 2
to disappear it wouldn’t cause the ecosystem to collapse but it would put a large gap in the food
chain in Lake Erie because the goby is such an invasive species and the water snake is one of its
major predators. They have one of the smallest geographic ranges of any vertebrae in the world
which means that they are only found on the islands in western Lake Erie and nowhere else in
the world.
The Lake Erie water snake is a subspecies of the Northern water snake because it has
such a small geographic range. The only place that the Erie water snake can be found is on the
western Islands of Lake Erie. They are found on over eighteen islands in western Lake Erie. If
they were not put on the threatened list this subspecies would have the potential to disappear
forever. This is another reason that the species is on the threatened list.
This snake is special
in the case that there has been some microevolution involved with this snake. This snake has had
to adapt to its environment which resulted in so microevolution taking place. According to
Richard B. King, “adult females may be particularly vulnerable to persecution; female Water
Snakes exceed males in body size” (King113). This could due to the fact that they give birth to
such a large number of young and it also shows why they would be feared the most because they
are the bigger of the two. People who keep saying they see larger water snakes are probably
seeing females instead of males.
The Water Snake mates from late May to early June. Their reproduction process the
snakes use is called “mating balls”. These mating balls usually consist of one female and several
males. The water snake usually has liters of up to 30 pencil-sized snakes. According to the Ohio
Division of Wildlife “only about 15 percent of the young survive their first year” (ODW). These
births usually occur around mid September, which could be the reason only 15 percents survive
because that is around the time the snakes enter hibernation.
Perry 3
The water snake has specific habits it does in the winter time and in the summer time.
They hibernate during the winter months. They use rock crevices, other animal homes or the
insides of buildings as places where they hibernate. According to the Ohio Division of Wildlife,
“in the summer, snakes prefer to spend time near the water's edge basking on the rocky shoreline
or foraging just off shore” (ODW). This shows that they aren’t a very active species of snake in
the summer time. They mostly just sit and sun bathe on the rocks and eat. They are active in the
summer months from early May till early September. According to the Ohio Division of
Wildlife, “overwintering sites are typically located within 76 yards of the shore in rocky
substrates and are sometimes covered with soil, leaf litter, decaying wood, and grass” (ODW).
This shows that they like to be close to water and don’t usually venture inland. The snakes enter
hibernation from mid-September till early May.
The reason the snakes are rarely seen inland is
because it is dangerous for them because of human development and roads where cars run them
over. The Lake Erie water snakes have such a routine that they even return to the same area of
shoreline they inhabited each summer and they use the same place to hibernate every winter.
The water snake was put on the threatened species list in August 18, 1993 There are a
couple of reasons that the water snake has been put on the threatened species list. One of the
major reasons is human eradication. Human eradication is a major reason because of peoples
normal fear snakes and through human development of the islands on Lake Erie which are the
snake’s natural habitat. People have shown mixed feelings about the snake being protected.
Lots of people on the island don’t like that the snake is being protected because it has kept their
kids from playing outside, even though the snake isn’t poisonous it does bite when it feels
threatened. They also can’t go outside in their own yard without seeing multiple snakes in their
yard. Another major reason is “destruction of their shoreline habitat by development and other
Perry 4
shoreline alterations” (USFWS). The populations on the islands in Lake Erie have been
developing up the shoreline with the construction of more docks and other things which is
causing the water snake to lose its natural habitat which in turn leads to the area being able to
sustain less of a water snake population.
Since the Lake Erie Water Snake is on the Threatened Species list there have been some
recovery acts which are being used to try and bring back the snake population. One of the major
things being done to protect the snake was that it was put on the threatened species list. This
prevents people from harming these animals which are under the government’s protection. The
U.S. government in conjunction with the Canadian government for Ontario are working together
to develop a recovery plan which will bring the snake population back up. According to Richard
B. King, “the population was a mere 1,200 adults about 20 years ago” (Scott). King also says
that not the snake population is up around 12,000 on the islands where it is illegal to kill the
snakes. King makes a remark, “we caught more in a day than I used to get in a week a decade
ago” (Scott). This shows that putting the snake onto the threatened species list is making an
impact and allowing the snake population to climb again. Another thing is that their methods for
protecting the populations of the snake are effective as well. Buying the land from people is
enabling the U.S. and Canadian governments to provide a theoretical safe zone for the snake
populations.
Another thing being done to help protect the Erie water snake is research. Scientists are
doing research into how to best handle the Erie water snake population and its habitat. The U.S.
and Canadian governments are buying land on the islands which they are setting aside as
protected property for the snake. They are researching ways in which the animal can be
Perry 5
protected. They are also educating people on the water snake and what they are doing to help
bring the species off of the threatened species list.
The Lake Erie Water Snake problem got recognition on national television on the
Discovery Channel show “Dirty Jobs”. Dirty jobs came out to Lake Erie to work with Kristin
Stanford a.k.a. “The Snake Lady” for a day and help catch some Lake Erie water snakes. This
made a huge impact on the community because Kristin talked about how the snake is on the
Threatened Species list and how she is one of the people trying to bring back the snake
population. They show what Kristin usually has to go through in order to catch a snake and it
isn’t the safest thing. People who try to catch them are prone to getting bit because that is the
snake’s primary form of defense is to bite when it feels threatened. Kristin also talked about
another defense mechanism is peeing and releasing this musk from its body. You repeatedly saw
Mike and Kristin getting peed on and even bit a couple times by the snakes they were catching.
These are some of the reasons people don’t like the snake and were killing it in the first place
because its first reaction to a situation where it felt cornered was to bite. People don’t want their
kids to be out in the yard playing and all the sudden they get bitten, that is why people don’t like
the snake. This is also the reason the Kristin and others are educating people in how to act
around the snakes and what to do when you see them.
The Lake Erie Water Snake is a snake specific to the islands in western Lake Erie. They
are on the threatened species list and there ar many reasons why they are on the endangered
species list and there are also many reasons that the snakes are important to have around on Lake
Erie. They are on the list because of human eradication, and habitat destruction because of
human development. They are important because they serve a major role in the food chain as a
Perry 6
major predator of the round goby which is an invasive species of fish and they also serve as prey
to many of the species of birds which reside on the same islands as the snakes.