On a grey day, surrounded (and feasted on) by swarms of blackflies, BIOL*4410 student Pratik takes measurements of snakes along Algonquin Park's Spruce Bog trail, while an eager chipmunk looks on. Pratik's research project for the Field Ecology course in Algonquin Park assessed the accuracy of sexing methods for eastern garter snakes, comparing the traditional tail measurement method with measurements of jaw length as a ratio of overall body weight. If validated, this alternate methodology could allow more flexibility in sexing snakes with tail injuries.
