>You would be surprised. Finlands native name, Suomi, is derived from >the
>word suo, meaning swamp.
>
>We have plenty of those here, and even when the swamps don't actually
>freeze in the winter, they can be effectively much more cold and >miserable
>than the surrounding area that's covered with a meter of >snow and -30 C
>cold.
>
>It's much easier to survive the winter burrowed under a big rock and >all
>that snow, hibernating until it's warm again, than trying to live >through
>the cold in the swamp where it's both cold and wet.
>
>Unless the swamps generate a lot of warmth, any snake has to be able >to
>hibernate to survive the dragonpass winter.
>
>There are reasons why we don't get the big flashy snakes in >Scandinavia.
>
> -Adept
You don't have to convince me. The only snake you normally see here in Manitoba is the Red Sided Garter snake, which could only scare people scared of snakes. They hibernate 8 months of the year in large dens six feet underground. It's just too damn cold here for most reptiles. See http://www.smithsonianmag.si.edu/smithsonian/issues01/apr01/serpent.html
for more information on these garter snakes.
And every body of water freezes in winter here including Lake Winnipeg which is 24,387 km2. But I suspect Dragon Pass is actually warmer:-)
Oliver
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