We're sunsetting PodQuest on 2025-07-28. Thank you for your support!
Export Podcast Subscriptions
cover of episode What do snakes do when they hibernate?

What do snakes do when they hibernate?

2025/5/26
logo of podcast Moment of Um

Moment of Um

AI Deep Dive AI Chapters Transcript
People
E
Emily Taylor
E
Esther the snake
Topics
Emily Taylor: 作为一名生物学教授,我发现蛇类的生活很大程度上受到温度的影响。当冬季来临,温度降低时,蛇的体温也会随之下降,因为它们依赖环境中的热量来保持体温。最终,这些低温会促使它们进入冬眠状态,它们会寻找合适的冬眠场所,例如松鼠的洞穴或火山裂缝,许多蛇会聚集在那里。在这些地方,蛇的体温会变得非常低,可能仅略高于冰点。关于蛇穴深处发生的事情,我们了解的还不够多。我们知道,在大多数情况下,如果蛇移动,它们也不会移动太多,因为天气太冷了。当天气非常寒冷时,蛇无法移动。这些地方位于深入地下的隧道中,隧道有很多曲折。科学家们在很大程度上无法获得相关信息。 Esther the snake: 作为一条蛇,我想告诉大家,冬天太冷了,我几乎什么都做不了。不过别担心,当春天天气转暖,平均温度高于60华氏度时,我会回到地面。春天也是蛇的交配季节,到时候我会分享一些寻找伴侣的技巧。

Deep Dive

Shownotes Transcript

Translations:
中文

Have you ever looked up at the stars and wondered, is there life on other planets? From Disney and Pixar. Welcome to the community-verse. Allow me to adjust your gravity. Oh, I'm fine. Gravity off. Are not alone. Are you gonna eat me? Ew, what kind of alien are you? Disney and Pixar's Elio, rated PG. Parental guidance suggested. Only in theaters June 20th. Tickets available now. From the brains behind Brains On, this is the moment of um...

And guess what? It's snake week. Moment of um comes to you from APM Studios. I'm Esther the snake. I'm so excited to be going live for my latest Get Ready With Me video. After this, my channel will be dark for the winter, but if you're new here, don't worry. I have lots

of content to keep you satisfied through my rest. Speaking of, thank you for all the love on my six steps to a satisfying skin shed video. I had a great time reading through your comments and suggestions.

Okay, now that that's out of the way, it's time to get ready with me. I know my subscribers have been waiting for this video all year. Tonight, I'm going into hibernation for the winter, which means I'll spend the next few months beneath the surface. Okay, let's get started.

To get my skin ready for this very special slumber, I'm going to start with an oil-based cleanser. This one is by... Ooh, looks like Oliver from California has a question for me. I'm Oliver from Sariputa, California. I want to learn about what snakes do when they hibernate in winter.

The quick answer is not much. They go underground underneath the frost line and they sit there for months until it warms up. I'm Emily Taylor. I'm a professor of biological sciences at Cal Poly, which is a university in San Luis Obispo, California.

Many things in snakes' lives are ruled by temperature. And so as the temperatures cool, as we approach winter, the snake's body temperature also goes down because they rely on heat from the environment to warm them. And eventually there's going to be a cue from these low temperatures for them to go to a hibernaculum. That might be a squirrel burrow. It might be a

volcanic fissures where there's a bunch of other snakes and they'll crawl down under there and then their body temperature is going to just be really low, maybe just a little bit above freezing.

The question of what goes on deep down in the snake den is actually somewhat unanswered. We know for the most part that the snakes, if they do move, they don't move around much. And that's because it's too cold. Snakes can't move when it's really cold. But these places are down in these deep little tunnels that have lots of twists and turns along the way. And scientists, for the most part, haven't been able to get information

So you see, Oliver, it'll be too cold for me to do much of anything.

But don't worry. I'll be back to posting videos when it warms up in the spring. As soon as the average temperature gets warmer than 60 degrees Fahrenheit, I'll slither to the surface and find a sunny spot to bask.

And did you know that spring is mating season for snakes? Be sure to tune back in for tips and tricks to meet your perfect match. If you like this episode, take a second to subscribe to Moment of Um wherever you listen to podcasts. And if you like debates, check out the Smash Boom Backstab.

podcast where we have a whole episode about snakes versus spiders. If you have a question, we'd love to help you answer it. Drop us a line by going to brainson.org slash contact. See you next time and the next day and every weekday. Until then, um...