Mark Sizemore, age 10, of Yadkinville, N.C., for his question:     

WHERE ARE SNAKES IN WINTER?

Tropical snakes may remain active all winter, though they often rest up a year or so after a heavy meal. Snakes of the temperate zones must hibernate through the winter. They are coldblooded creatures, and their.body processes slow down when the weather gets chilly. Come fall, they seek small cracks and crevices, curl up and sink into the deep sleep of hibernation. Many of our snakes hibernate in the deserted burrows of other animals.