Catching a few rays

Ectotherm animals are the original sunbathers.  What’s an ectotherm?   Unlike people who are endotherms and use food calories to make heat, ectotherms don’t convert food calories to heat and rely on external sources to regulate their body temperature.  This ectotherm, aka garter snake, was catching a few rays on our lawn.

I have seen plenty of garter snakes but never one in this situation.  After a night in a cold dark hole, it was as still as a rock warming up its body in the morning sun.  Normally wild animals get startled and take off when they cross paths with people or loud noises.  Warming up must take a bit.  When it finally started moving, the snake was in an almost animated slow motion like watching paint dry.  However, once it warmed up, this one took off like the proverbial “bat out of h_ ”.

The photo is purely an opportunistic iPhone shot and not an attempt to be a wildlife photographer.  Frankly, the photo is out of context for me.  Wild animals are not my thing, but they find their way into my photos.  This one is almost fun.

Doing the research was both fascinating and a learning experience.  Who knew there are 2 terms – ectotherm and cold blooded.  Their blood temperature is cooler than warm blooded animals but not cold.  And the only way for them to warm up is an external heat source such as sunbathing.

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