Helping Ohio's most endangered snake
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A plains garter snake curls up at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. Photos: Amanda Carberry, courtesy of the zoo
The tiny baby snakes raised at the Columbus Zoo are barely the size of a pencil, but they have a big job ahead of them: saving their species.
Why it matters: The plains garter snake is one of Ohio's most endangered reptiles. A breeding program at the zoo has helped prevent its local extinction in recent years.
- The pest-eating carnivores are an important part of keeping nature in balance.
How it works: For about 20 years, the zoo has housed snakes, raised their young and released them into the wild each summer.
- They're tagged with microscopic devices for identification, similar to a pet microchip.
- The snakes were once common across Ohio, but are now isolated to the state-managed Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area. Releases occur there, about an hour northwest of Columbus.
By the numbers: The zoo has released over 400 babies so far, program leader Tara Archer tells Axios.
- An average litter ranges from six to 21, based on the mother's age and size.
The big picture: The project is just one example of the zoo's behind-the-scenes work helping Ohio's endangered native animals.
- A new Ohio Center for Wildlife Conservation in the zoo will soon showcase these efforts front-and-center for the first time.
- The center will open in late spring or early summer as part of the North America region's ongoing $40 million renovation, a spokesperson says.
- Other featured creatures will include hellbender salamanders, burying beetles and freshwater mussels.
Between the lines: The plains garter snake's disappearance points to larger problems with the ecosystems in our backyards.
- Its Ohio population plummeted by 94% between the 1970s and 1999 because suburban expansion and farming decimated its prairie habitat.
Yes, but: Surveyors regularly find snakes in new fields throughout Killdeer Plains, suggesting their numbers are increasing, conservation biologist Greg Lipps tells Axios.
- The current population is likely a few thousand, based on a rough estimates.
What we're watching: It will be difficult to get the snake off Ohio's endangered species list due to its limited range, but the zoo may release babies into other areas someday, Lipps says.
The bottom line: "There's a lot of focus on polar bears and ice caps and the Amazon, and those are important — but there's local conservation happening here that is equally as important," Archer tells Axios. "I'm excited for visitors to be able to see that."
Go deeper: Kick off the Year of the Snake with a few fun factsss
