Why did the snakes cross the road?
This April 25, 2015 photo shows Doug MacMillan of San Diego, Calif., holding a young ring-necked snake in his hands after finding the hatchling beneath a rock in southern Illinois’ Shawnee National Forest. AP Photo/Alan Scher Zagier
The Shawnee National Forest, located in Southern Illinois, is home to lush oak forests, rigid canyons and tricky geological formations.In the spring, In the spring, snakes migrate out of the Shawnee and into LaRue Swamp, only to migrate back in the fall to return to the cliffs of the Shawnee.
In-between those destinations is a famous road known colloquially as “Snake Road” that has to close twice every year, to let the snakes pass.
Guests:
Shawn Gossman
YouTuber, Hiking with Shawn
Mark Vukovich
Wildlife Biologist, U.S. Forest Service