The largest gathering of snakes in the world woke up from a nap - and the photos are insane

Each year at the break of spring, red-sided garter snakes in Narcisse, Canada engage in an unusual ritual.

Thousands of them begin emerging from their underground dens during the last week of April and their numbers peak during the second week of May. The reason? They're all out to mate.

Here is what goes down at the snake dens: