Find Out Your Garbage Collection Days
Jobs at the City
See Sports, Leisure and Cultural Programming
Online Requests
Find a Location
Contact Us
Wildlife, Flora and Species 
Hibernaculum for Brown Snakes at Terra-Cotta Natural Park
Work is underway in the fallow lands of Terra-Cotta Natural Park until September. In partnership with the Hydro-Québec Foundation for the Environment, we are going to build an artificial hibernaculum for brown snakes, the fifth of its kind since 2016. A hibernaculum is a deep hole filled with large stones and pieces of wood, and serves as a habitat where brown snakes can hibernate.
Brown snakes can reach a size of 35 cm. They are characterized by two rows of brown spots along their back, with dark areas under the eyes. It is one of the eight species of snakes present in Quebec. It is also among the six species of snakes considered potentially threatened or vulnerable. Urban expansion, which results in the loss, alteration, and fragmentation of their habitat, as well as road traffic, are the greatest threats to the survival of the species. This artificial hibernaculum, which will be erected in Terra-Cotta Natural Park, is part of the measures taken to help preserve this species.
There are more than thirty hibernation shelters in Montérégie, Montreal, and Laval. The Minister of Forests, Wildlife and Parks is an active participant in this project and will ensure the control of certain characteristics of the hibernaculum, such as temperature and humidity.
We remind visitors that it is important to stay on the trails, as this helps preserve habitats and biodiversity. Below you will find a map representing the five wildlife habitats in the park: one hibernaculum for brown snakes, two nesting boxes for Eastern screech owls, and two bat maternity wards.
