Newfoundland Garter Snakes
News  //  September 30, 2010

Officially, the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador is free of reptile species (unless you count sea turtles). That includes snakes. But, according to CBC News, garter snakes have been found breeding in the southwestern corner of Newfoundland. Biologists are worried that the introduced snakes might predate on the island’s unique subspecies of meadow vole, but it’s important not to overestimate the snakes’ reliance on mammal prey: if I’m not mistaken, mammals can be a substantial part of a large adult female’s diet, but that’s not necessarily the case with younger or male snakes, which are considerably smaller. They’re more likely to feed on the five frog and toad species that have also been introduced to the island.

Note: Online news sources frequently remove old stories, and links to stories sometimes expire after a short period of time. If the link to the news story in this entry no longer works, there’s nothing I can do about it.