I would like to make a confession here...I LIE TO VISITORS TO CANADA FROM OTHER COUNTRIES!!!...OK, here's how it started. I told a British Servicemember in July that we were going to have an early winter...This was proven by a "wooly bear" caterpillar inching by. Never having seen such an insect before, I informed him it was an earthworm, and it had already gotten it's winter coat in. His reply contained expletives describing my homeland I am not comfortable putting into writing.
I also may have told visiting Americans to beware of the moose in Alberta. Unlike anywhere else in the world, moose were the top of the food chain here. I went on to explain that when moose are particularly hungry, they will seek out grizzly bears in their winter dens, drag them out and eat them. To which the young American female replied "That's true!!! I saw that on the Discovery Channel!!!"
I may have mentioned to a member of the German military to be on the lookout during the winter months for our northern reptiles. You see when the extreme cold weather drives all the mammals into their annual migration south, it causes our northern reptiles to follow the food source. As such you should always be watching for the infamous Canadian Snow Snakes, and the Northern Alberta Alligator.
Both can be easily identified by their white scaly skin, but the snow snakes in particular can be located by the holes they make in the snow. As they must keep their body heat above freezing, they generate a warm yellowish liquid slime which is exuded from their skin. So snow snake holes are evident by the yellowish tinge of the snow around where the holes they make. (It should be noted that I may make some "snow snake holes" all on my own before telling this story. This is accomplished about one hour after I have consumed 2 large double double Tim Horton's Coffees).
