The Great Snake Migration Of LaRue Road

Описание: Twice a year, LaRue Road closes down to vehicular traffic to allow hundreds of snakes to cross between LaRue swamp and limestone bluffs that they overwinter in. I'm here to investigate why this seems to happen here, and only here!

Music & Sound Effects:

Bio Unit - Flotation: https://nultielrecords.blogspot.com/
All sound effects from epidemicsound.com

External Videos:

"If You're Scared of Snakes, Don't Watch This | National Geographic":    • If You're Scared of Snakes, Don't Watch Th...  

https://www.pexels.com/video/snake-on...

Sources & Further Reading:

"Geology of Illinois": https://www2.illinois.gov/dnr/educati...

"A Floristic Study of a Southern Illinois Swampy Area": https://kb.osu.edu/bitstream/handle/1...

"Comprehensive Plan for the Illinois Nature Preserves System - Part 2": https://www.genesisnurseryinc.com/ass...

"Natural Areas of the Shawnee National Forest": https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_...

Interactive Map of the Natural Divisions of Illinois: https://idnr.maps.arcgis.com/apps/Map...

"Guide to the Geology of the Garden of the Gods Recreation Area, Shawnee National Forest, Saline, Gallatine, Pope, and Hardin Counties, Illinois": https://library.isgs.illinois.edu/Pub...

"The Shawnee Area - An Inventory of the Region's Resources": https://www2.illinois.gov/dnr/publica...

"LaRue-Pine Hills/Otter Pond Research Natural Area": https://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/rna/il/shaw...

"LaRue-Pine Hills": https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_...

"The Fish Population of a Spring-Fed Swamp in the Mississippi Bottoms of Southern Illinois" Source: Ecology, Vol. 26, No 4 (Oct., 1955), pp 552-528

"Fieldbook of Illinois Mammals"
Source: Illinois Natural History Survey, Manual 4
Link: https://www.originalwisdom.com/wp-con...

"Herptofaunal Survey of the Pine Hills Area of Southern Illinois"
Source: The Quarterly Journal of The Florida Academy of Science, Volume 21, pp 207-228
Link: https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/i...

"The Amphibians and Reptiles of Illinois"
Source: Illinois Natural History Survey Bulletin Volume 28, Article 1
Link: https://iopn.library.illinois.edu/jou...

"Snake Migration - Illinois's Shawnee National Forest is famous for its Snake Road.": https://www.nationalgeographic.org/ar...

"Chillin' and Sliding: Snake Migration in Vermont": https://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/s...

"Do Rattlesnakes Migrate?": https://baynature.org/article/do-ratt...

"RED-SIDED GARTER SNAKE MORTALITY ON PTH#17 AT NARCISSE WMA": https://www.carcnet.ca/english/snake_...

Misc. documents received directly from the U.S. Forest Service:
Geology of Pine Hills
Geology and Mineral Resources of the Shawnee National Forest and Southern Illinois
LaRue Pine Hills Appreciation Day Pamphlet Map

Maps of species ranges taken from Peterson Field Guide to Freshwater Fishes (Second Edition) and Peterson Field Guide to Mammals of North America (Fourth Edition)

Paleogeographic maps by C. R. Scotese: https://www.earthbyte.org/paleomap-pa...

Special thanks to the following individuals for their input on the scripts and drafts of this video:
Suzanne Hirsch (Public Affairs Specialist | Shawnee National Forest)
Mark Vukovich (Wildlife Biologist | Shawnee National Forest)
Scott Ballard (Southern Region E&T Recovery Species Specialist/Herpetologist | Illinois Department of Natural Resources)