If you see an Eastern kingsnake in metro Atlanta this summer, some Atlanta-based researchers want to know about it.
It’s part of a “citizens science” project called Urban Kings in which folks are asked to report sightings of kingsnakes in the metro area. Bryan Hudson, a Clemson University graduate student, said he and his colleagues want to determine from the project “how wildlife either survive or are pushed out as development intensity continues” in urban areas such as fast-growing metro Atlanta.
Also involved in the study are the Chattahoochee Nature Center and other groups.
The nonvenomous kingsnake, Hudson said, was chosen as the focus species for several reasons. For one, it’s common in Georgia and is harmless, even docile. Although many folks fear snakes, “people generally like kingsnakes,” Hudson said. Kingsnakes eat rodents and nearly anything else they can catch and swallow — including venomous copperhead snakes, which makes kingsnakes good to have in a yard.
Another reason for choosing kingsnakes is that they, like all snakes, lack arms, legs and wings and therefore are not as mobile as other creatures. So, researchers ask: How do kingsnakes adapt and survive in dense urban areas?
Growing up to 5 feet long, the Eastern kingsnake is typically black with yellow or white bands around the body. Scores of sightings have been reported so far to the project, which wraps up in October.
A recent report came from two of my Decatur neighbors, Ella Ballard, 10, and her sister Eden, 8, who helped a 17-inch-long kingsnake cross a neighborhood street. “We wanted to make sure it didn’t get run over,” Eden said.
If you see a kingsnake in metro Atlanta, you can report it to Urban Kings. Try to take a photo and give location, date and time. For contact information, go to chattnaturecenter.org/blog/urban-kings-a-citizen-science-project/.
IN THE SKY: From David Dundee, Tellus Science Museum astronomer: The South Delta Aquarid meteor shower, visible this weekend and through most of next week, peaks at 15 meteors per hour on Wednesday night. Best viewing: In the southeast sky from midnight until dawn. The moon will appear full all weekend. Mercury is low in the east just before sunrise. Venus and Mars are low in the west at dusk. Jupiter and Saturn rise in the east after midnight.
Charles Seabrook can be reached at charles.seabrook@yahoo.com.
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