From the brains behind Brains On, this is the Moment of Um.
And guess what?
It's Snake Week.
Um, um, um.
Moment of Um comes to you from APM Studios.
I'm Esther the Snake.
Um.
Um.
I'm so excited to be going live for my latest Get Ready With Me video.
After this, my channel will be dark for the winter, but if you're new here, don't worry.
I have lots of content to keep you satisfied through my rest.
Speaking of, thank you for all the love on my six steps to a satisfying skin shed video.
I had a great time reading through your comments and suggestions.
Okay, now that that's out of the way, it's time to get ready with me.
I know my subscribers have been waiting for this video all year.
Tonight I'm going into hibernation for the winter, which means I'll spend the next few months beneath the surface.
Okay, let's get started.
To get my skin ready for this very special slumber, I'm going to start with an oil-based cleanser.
This one is by, ooh, looks like Oliver from California has a question for me.
I'm Oliver from Sariputa, California.
I want to learn about what snakes do when they hibernate in winter.
The quick answer is not much.
They go underground underneath the frost line and they sit there for months until it warms up.
I'm Emily Taylor.
I'm a professor of biological sciences at Cal Poly, which is a university in San Luis Obispo, California.
Many things in snakes' lives are ruled by temperature.
And so as the temperatures cool as we approach winter, the snake's body temperature also goes down, because they rely on heat from the environment to warm them.
And eventually there's going to be a cue from these low temperatures for them to go to a hibernaculum.
That might be a squirrel burrow.
It might be a vineyard volcanic fissures where there's a bunch of other snakes and they'll crawl down under there and then their body temperature is going to just be really low, maybe just a little bit above freezing.
The question of what goes on deep down the snake den is actually somewhat unanswered.
We know for the most part that the snakes, if they do move, they don't move around much And that's because it's too cold.
Snakes can't move when it's really cold.
But these places are down in these deep little tunnels that have lots of twists and turns along the way.
And scientists, for the most part, haven't been able to get their cameras down in there to see what the snakes are doing.
If we did, then we probably would see some piles of snakes that were mostly just curled up sitting there.
They probably move around a little bit now and then.
Maybe they interact a little bit, especially at the beginning and the end when they're warmer.
But for the most part, they probably just sit there.
Um... So you see, Oliver, it'll be too cold for me to do much of anything.
But don't worry.
I'll be back to posting videos when it warms up in the spring.
As soon as the average temperature gets warmer than 60 degrees Fahrenheit, I'll slither to the surface and find a sunny spot to bask.
And did you know that spring is mating season for snakes?
Be sure to tune back in for tips and tricks to meet your perfect match.
If you like this episode, take a second to subscribe to Moment of Um.
Wherever you listen to podcasts.
And if you like debates, check out the Smash Boom Best podcast, where we have a whole episode about snakes versus spiders.
If you have a question, we'd love to help you answer it.
Drop us a line by going to brainson.org slash contact.
See you next time and the next day and every weekday.
Until then, um.
