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Nova Scotia has no poisonous snakes and no snakes much more than one metre long. Even so, many people are afraid of our snakes. Snakes have suffered from bad public relations ever since the Garden of Eden! In spite of the stories you may hear, snakes do not sting with their tongues, milk cows, or swallow babies. They do not bite their tails, curl up like hoops and roll down hills. Snakes do have some wonderful adaptations to help them survive without arms or legs.

Snakes in Nova Scotia hibernate over winter, often in large groups. Breeding usually happens in the spring. Some types lay eggs, while others bear their young alive. Snakes are eaten by hawks and other large birds, and by foxes, raccoons and bears. One of their most important predators is the ordinary house cat.