The 21st Show

Encore: Why did the snakes cross the road?

Produced by Jose Zepeda
 
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.

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

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Editor's note: This segment orginally aired September 12, 2022.

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