Was part of a conversation where the topic of snakes came up, and that there seemed to be an increase in Copperhead snakes. Someone said, “it’s the bugs”. Then today I saw this pop up on my FB wall.
I was recently a participant in a conversation that consisted of me a blogger, a biologist, and a herpetologist… weird right… but oddly enough, the topic of snakes came up. Particularly an increase in Copperheads being reported in bunches. One of the scientists simply said, “It’s the bugs”, and the conversation continued. I am not a scientist, so I am not embarrassed to say that my first thought was “June bugs”, then I saw this video on Facebook today.
Researchers say it is the cicadas. The Houston Chronicle reports that large groups of 20 or more copperhead snakes have been found in a small area near large oak trees. The snakes are feeding on cicada larvae in what is an annual buffet that occurs between the first of June and the end of September. Scientists only discovered this a few years ago, but it’s nothing new. Just with more and more areas growing, more people are seeing this.
FACT: A protein in Copperhead Venom has been discovered to kill certain cancers.
