Our eastern hog-nose snake animal sign next to its exhibit at the Zoo will tell you the snakes’ natural range, diet, threat level and some other interesting facts. What no sign can convey is how theatrical these snakes really are: if there was an Academy Award for the most dramatic snake, the hog-nose snake would go home with the Oscar.
Photo by Jeff LeClere
If a hog-nose snake is threatened, it has quite the repertoire of movements and behaviors to distract and evade an attacker. The first tactic the hog-nose snake will use is to flatten out its head, giving it the appearance of having a hood, like a cobra. It then will take a very deep breath to inflate itself and then release the breath causing a loud hissing sound. If this had not deterred its irritant, the hog-nosed snake will strike. The snake does not open its mouth to bite, it only strikes at the attacker by hitting the attacker with its nose and face. A lot of other snakes will use these same types of scare tactics to ward off an attacker; however, other snakes will typically bite when they strike. The rest of the hog-nose snake’s dramatic tactics are specific to this species.
Photo by Amanda Davis
When hooding up, hissing and mock-biting will not deter a threat, the hog-nose snake will flail around, appearing to be having convulsions. The convulsive fit includes the snake thrashing around with its mouth open with its tongue hanging out. This performance is ended by the hog-nosed snake rolling onto its back and playing dead with its mouth open and tongue hanging out. The snake will even go as far to appear to have blood coming from its mouth and anus, as well as defecating and excreting a foul odor. When the snake is picked up, it will be limp. If the snake is set back down with its belly down, it will quickly flip over so it is upside down on its back again. After some time has passed, the snake will pick its head up and check for danger. If the threat is gone, it will roll over and scurry away.
The eastern hog-nose snake gives the best performance when evading an intruder. There are other snakes out there that have their own tactics when being confronted by a threat, but none give the convincing dramatic performance like that of the eastern hog-nosed snake. The eastern hog-nose snake in the ECO center at the Zoo typically will not put on this dramatic performance because they have a pretty easygoing life and don’t have the need to act out. They are capable of it, however, and would give the performance of a lifetime if needed.
Learn more about eastern hog-nose snakes and other species of reptiles and amphibians at Snakes and Friends Day this Saturday, August 22!
One Cubic Foot has officially made it to the Genesee River! Photographer and environmentalist David Liittschwager and his team have been out on the river all week scouting the most biodiverse location for the one cubic foot frame and observing all the different species that move in and out of it in the equivalent of a 24-hour period. Soon, they will begin photographing and DNA bardcoding their findings and exhibiting the results.
We caught up with David right before his arrival in Rochester to learn more about how One Cubic Foot began and how it will adapt itself to the Genesee.
Q: This is the first time you are partnering with a Zoo to bring One Cubic Foot to a new environment. What about the Seneca Park Zoo Society and the environment of the Genesee River made you decide that it should be the next location for the project?
A: I am excited to collaborate with the Seneca Park Zoo Society to explore how much life we can find in one cubic foot of the Genesee River. I look forward to learning about the recovery of the river and appreciate the Zoo Society’s program that is making my participation possible.
The fact that the Zoo wants to make an exhibit and engage the community, continuing the project over time—that is just fantastic. It’s the first time that the project will be done in such a focused way in the community. Having the Zoo Society carry it forward is very exciting.
Q: Do you go into each new project with an idea of what you hope to find? What kind of research do you do leading up to placing the one cubic foot in a new habitat?
A: I just try to find the most diverse spot in the location. But environmental damage suppresses diversity. So we are going to try to find the most diverse spot along the river that we can.
Q: One Cubic Foot has both artistic and environmental goals. Did the project come about from your desire to create these unique photographs, and the scientific process followed, or vice versa?
A: My primary agenda is to show how beautiful the world is. That is born out of the fact that I don’t think I’m going to motivate anybody new by showing how damaged the world is. There is a place for pictures of damage—I spent 20 years photographing things on the endangered species list, so I’m quite familiar with the idea of damage. But the world is not used up. We’re in a position where we get to decide what we get to take with us into the future, and I think we will only take the things that we know exist and the things that we care about.
Q: So you’re conscious of presenting people with a positive image in order to inspire them to protect it?
A: I want to show people that nature is cool—to make it their idea that this thing is worth having. People don’t really like being preached at, and you can explain all of the intellectual reasons why we should conserve diversity, but some of them are pretty far out. If you explain to a young person that you don’t want to suppress diversity because it’s our storehouse for novel molecules that may be helpful for medications in the future, and at the same time this person sees the effects of climate change doing damage in a much shorter time period, they’ll be kind of indifferent—they’ll think, what about this other problem? We have a lot of problems, and you can get ground down thinking about all of them. But if the creature is cool and the place is their backyard, or someplace nearby that they can get to, then the view shifts to, “Well, while we’re trying to deal with all these other problems, let’s take care of what’s still here, still in our neighborhood.”
Q: How did you decide on the one cubic foot shape when you first began this project?
A: I started it because I wanted to show how much life occurs in a small place and in different small places. And in order for them to be comparable, I needed to use the same sample size. Since I work for National Geographic, I knew the experience of having the magazine open in your lap. Those measurements are 10 by 14 inches; round them out and that is about the size of the 12-inch cube. So I knew that what I wanted to show people could fit in that space—not literally, but emotionally. It was a manageable, personal sample size. It fits in your lap, you can put your arms around it. It’s on a human scale.
Q: What have you learned as your process has evolved over the years?
A: The original plan was to go to five different locations and finish the project in two weeks at each location, but I was never able to finish in only two weeks because as soon as you start looking carefully, there’s more and more and more. The first spot that I did, I stopped tracking things that were smaller than 2 millimeters—anything smaller than that I didn’t include. And the counts of the numbers of creatures that we thought existed in the cube over the course of a normal day were maybe 1,000. But the first time we put the cube in the water, there was all the plankton passing through, and the species count went up to 15 to 20,000 creatures per hour that were passing through. And then underneath the Golden Gate Bridge I found that if you go even smaller and include species like diatoms, the number escalates to 2.6 billion creatures—all of which you can see with the naked eye. So it turns out that the numbers get huge when you start to really look, especially when you’re in a habitat with a current.
The Genesee might have a current. We’re probably going to put the cube on a bank or a log—but we don’t know where we’ll find the best spot yet. So it’s going to be fun. It’s an adventure.
Q: What kinds of factors will determine exactly where you choose to place the one cubic foot frame?
Diversity, attractiveness, variety, accessibility, safety. And if I can avoid making too much of a mess.
Q: A kind of “leave no trace” approach?
A: I don’t think “leave no trace” is possible because a 170 pound mammal can’t do that—unless you only stay on the concrete path. That’s just the physicality of being a large animal. But I wouldn’t put the cube in a place where if we wanted to sift the soil it would create an instant erosion problem. I would choose a different spot. I choose spots where things will recover quickly, in short order and without a lot of trouble.
Q: Would you recommend a similar approach for budding citizen scientists?
A: I think it’s perfectly fine for a person, especially a child, to go out in the forest and turn over a log or two and see what cool critters are there. I think that is more worthwhile than not knowing that there are cool things under logs. It is much better to know that the world is a more interesting place.
Some people might have such a hands-off attitude that they would frown at somebody flipping a log to look at the creatures underneath. I think human beings have such power in the world, we can even change the atmosphere. And the only thing that’s going to make us not want to change things too much is if we care enough about the consequences. I think flipping a log and learning about what lives under there is one of the only ways to find out how fantastic the world is—and why we might not want to change it too much.
Q: Any other advice?
A: If you do flip a log in the forest, when you’re done, turn it back over carefully so that the next person can see something cool, too!
And learn how to become a citizen scientist at our last two open late Tuesdays of the summer, August 18 and 25! As the project continues with exhibitions and events, you can find updated information here.
Tomorrow, photographer and environmentalist David Liittschwager arrives in Rochester to begin his project One Cubic Foot in the Genesee River, in collaboration with the Seneca Park Zoo Society and about 35 community and regional partner organizations. In anticipation of this months-in-the-making initiative, we spoke with Zoo Society Executive Director Pamela Reed Sanchez about the origins of the Zoo’s partnership with Liittschwager, the health of the Genesee and all the ways you can learn about #OneCubicFoot in the next few weeks.
Pamela Reed Sanchez
Q: How did the idea to bring One Cubic Foot to the Genesee River begin? Why is now the right time for the Zoo Society to partner on an effort like this?
A: I learned of David’s work last fall and fell in love with the concept and his photographs. We started thinking about using One Cubic Foot as a way to have visitors explore the biodiversity of the ecosystems we represent here at the Zoo, including Borneo, Madagascar, Africa, and the Genesee River. We’re in the process of creating a new interactive space at the Zoo called the Center of Biodiversity Exploration, and we wanted to use “One Cubic Foot” as an organizing theme. So I contacted David to ask for permission, told him of our plans and of the work the Zoo has been doing for decades to reintroduce native species such as North American river otters and lake sturgeon to the Genesee River.
David was thrilled to hear of our interest in his project and of our efforts in the Genesee, and he offered to come to Rochester this summer to replicate the project in the Genesee. As David has partnered with the Smithsonian Institute numerous times, it was natural for us to also bring in research zoologists from the Smithsonian to assist in DNA bar-coding. From there, we began enlisting the support of like-minded organizations in the region and suddenly we had a Community Advisory Committee of more than 35 people representing as many organizations committed to river health.
Photo courtesy of David Liittschwager
Q: What does the Zoo Society hope to accomplish by not only executing One Cubic Foot while David Liittschwager is here, but also continuing the impact of the event for months to come through photo exhibitions, lectures and other events? How exactly is the Zoo Society planning to do this?
A: We have many goals for this project. We hope to gain scientific knowledge of the biodiversity of species in the river that could provide information helpful to removing the Genesee River from the EPA’s Area of Concern list. We hope to foster a sense of regional pride in the Genesee — a river once rife with pollution that is now teeming with life again, thanks to the efforts of many individuals and organizations. We hope to inspire Rochesterians to reconnect with nature through actively monitoring the environment and participating in formal and informal citizen science programs. With the help of our partners, we will be creating curriculum for school children and nature programs for families and adults related to One Cubic Foot, and we will be replicating the project next summer in numerous spots along the Genesee River.
This fall, you’ll see the One Cubic Foot project represented at numerous community events, such as River Romance, on special cruises of the Sam Patch, at a public lecture hosted by the Audubon Society (November 16 at the Brighton Town Hall), and more. Our next big public event is David’s lecture on his past work, being held at George Eastman House on at 6 p.m. on August 20. Next February, his work in the Genesee River will be the subject of an exhibition at Rochester Contemporary Art Center (RoCo) at the same time the Zoo prototypes the Center for Biodiversity Exploration.
Q: Why is the Genesee worthy of being the next environment on the One Cubic Foot list, which has included exotic international and famous locations?
A: Some might consider the north-flowing Genesee the perfect location, given the path it provides for many migratory birds and animals. Add to that the work that has been done to clean up the river and reintroduce native species and you have the makings of a mystery novel: what will we find in One Cubic Foot of the Genesee River?
The concept behind One Cubic Foot has little to do with exotic animals and locales. It is aimed at educating people about the range of animals and plants that coexist in very small places, and then having them think about what that means on a global scale. But first, they have to care about the small stuff.
David’s goal is to have people replicate this project on their own, and we will be sharing his video tutorials and having workshops on how to create your own One Cubic Foot at the Zoo (including at Open Late Night Tuesday, August 25).
Photo courtesy of David Liittschwager
Q: Why was it important to you to partner with other community organizations on this effort? How has the Community Advisory Board shaped the evolution of One Cubic Foot since the idea was first presented?
A: When I first began talking about One Cubic Foot, I noticed that people were surprised to learn of the role the Zoo has played in regional conservation, and I began to learn how many people have a vested interest in the health of the river. Taking on the project without partners would have been foolish, as together we can accomplish more and bring the message about river health and sustainability to a much broader audience.
Our Advisory Committee members have helped identify resources of all kinds, from financial support to scientific expertise, to the use of boats while David is on the river. Their enthusiastic ideas about community programming have helped shape the ongoing life of the project. It was the Community Advisory Board that suggested replicating the project in six places along the river in 2016.
Q: What has it been like for you to go out into the community and talk with people about One Cubic Foot as part of the Street Team of volunteers that has been active all summer?
A: The word that comes to mind is validation. I could have never predicted last fall that my fascination with One Cubic Foot would catch fire. Using art to connect people with the environment is very gratifying for me. Art provides us with “Aha!” moments that allow us to see the world a little differently. David’s photography is exquisite, and people of all ages, ethnicities, and socioeconomic backgrounds instantly connect with it. And when they find out he’s coming to Rochester, they kind of stand a little taller. They want to know what he’s going to find in that river.
Photo by Ceci Menchetti
Environmental conservation is a pretty serious topic and for people who don’t know much about it, it can be intimidating as a subject. But when you introduce them to the concept of One Cubic Foot, they just smile and they get it. And then we can deliver the messages about how to keep that river clean so that animals and plants can thrive.
Q: This is the first time you are partnering with a Zoo to bring One Cubic Foot to a new environment. What about the Seneca Park Zoo Society and the environment of the Genesee River made you decide that it should be the next location for the project?
