A stock image of a snake.Photo:Getty
Getty
Apet snakethat had been missing for a year has made it home — and in the most unlikely of ways.
The United Kingdom’s Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) received a call earlier this month about a corn snake that was spotted atop a garage roof in a resident’s yard in Spennymoor, England, according to theBBC.
As it turned out, the female reptile, named Agnus, was the missing pet of the resident’s neighbor. Agnus had not been seen for a year after managing to escape from her home.
He added that he was “gobsmacked” the animal managed to survive not only the crow attack, but the cold temperatures outside over the winter.
According to theSmithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, snakes are ecothermic, meaning they cannot generate their own body heat, so they rely on their environment to maintain their body temperature.
A stock image of a snake.Getty
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“The vet believes Agnus had gone into brumation mode, similar to hibernation, and her body had shut down in order to survive,” Lawson told the BBC. “It really is amazing that she survived for so long without heat — and also survived after a crow had decided to try to fly off with her.”
According to the outlet, the RSPCA advises snake owners to keep their reptiles in a locked, secure enclosure when unattended, as snakes are “excellent escape artists.”
source: people.com
