Apart from those with unusual field markings, multiple, similar looking species, occupy overlapping territory in many areas, creating potential identification challenges. When I get too close, the snake races off, showing the speed with which this gartersnake can crawl and swim to safety. Depending on the source, up to sixteen different species are recognized. The red stripe down the middle of the body. (The frog survived, but died later. This garter snake is commonly found in suburban areas and city parks. 43, 2017 shows this note regarding the species. Their body color can range from blue, prominent in Florida blue garter snakes, to the many shades of red visible in West Coast species. Utilizes a wide variety of habitats - forests, mixed woodlands, grassland, chaparral, farmlands, often near ponds, marshes, or streams. Garter Snakes for Sale in the United States. This wide-ranging subspecies, Thamnophis sirtalis fitchi - Valley Gartersnake, is found throughout all of northern California, including the coast in Humboldt and Del Norte Counties, south, east of the north and south coast ranges through the Great Valley and much of the Sierra Nevada (excluding a large part of the interior part of the San Joaquin Valley alley) and east of the Sierra Nevada into the northern part of the … However there are smaller populations in California, Arizona and New Mexico. Garter snake identification gets a good deal of attention because they inhabit backyards and multiple grass habitats throughout North America. When I get too close, the snake races off, showing the speed with which this gartersnake can crawl and swim to safety.
The Eastern Ribbon Snake has a distinct pattern on the body as well as the common stripes.
Scientific name: Natricinae We have thousands of exotic reptiles for sale from top breeders from around the world. The picture shows a typical wandering garter snake skin pattern, characterized by the light color stripes. Like all garter snakes, they have stripes down the body. Growing up to five feet in length, it ranks as the largest garter snake and one of the longest native snakes regardless of family. Ribbon snakes refers to a group of snakes in the genus Thamnophis, differentiated by the presence of longer tails and a light patch in front of the eye. A Valley Gartersnake is discovered resting in the sun near the edge of a mountain pond which is still half-surrounded by snow. Adult with faint red markings, San Luis Obispo County ©, This snake looks a lot like a Red-sided Gartersnake except that it has no red coloring on its head. Rossman et al (1996) show the elevation record for the species (not specifically this subspecies) at 8,333 feet (2540 m.). The yellow stripe down the center of its dark back and two yellow stripes along its sides identified it as a garter snake, our most common snake, found around rock … It was observed a few miles from the ocean in San Luis Obispo County. The black-necked gartersnake (Thamnophis cyrtopsis) is typically described as a Southwest species. Compare Common Garter snakes with the snake in the next picture, the Terrestrial Gartersnake (Thamnophis elegans). This aberrant Valley Gartersnake was photographed in 2016 in the Sacramento Valley in Sutter County, CA approx.1.5 km from the location where the snake seen above was found. A close up picture would show the snake’s eight upper labial scales, typical of all Thamnophis elegans subspecies. The Valley Gartersnake is a subspecies of the Common Gartersnake (Thamnophis sirtalis). The Valley Gartersnake is brown to black with three yellow stripes: one stripe down the back (dorsal stripes) and one on each side (lateral stripes). Rice fields provide hundreds of thousands of acres of habitat for the species. ©. Adults of this species measure 18 - 55 inches in length (46 - 140 cm), but the average size is under 36 inches (91 cm). Subspecies have slight color differences. Bluestrip Garter snakes in Florida live mostly in the Gulf Coast region. Ribbon snakes refers to a group of snakes in the genus Thamnophis, differentiated by the presence of longer tails and a light patch in front of the eye.
It’s hard to misidentify them.
That particular garter snake identification problem does not apply to the Giant Garter Snake (Thamnophis gigas) pictured at the top of this page. Here you can see a mass emergence of Valley Gartersnakes and Wandering Gartersnakes in early May, Lincoln County, Wyoming. © 2000 - document.write((new Date()).getFullYear()); U.S. Geological Survey photos taken by Alexandria M. Fulton. The ground color is dark gray, black or brown. It occurs in wooded areas on the floor of the Willamette Valley and has been found in the Rogue Valley.
Butler’s Gartersnake (Thamnophis butleri) has a small range, limited to Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin and Ohio. The picture shows a Gulf Coast Ribbon Snake (Thamnophis proximus orarius), one of the six different subspecies of the Western Ribbon Snake. COSEWIC status: Not Assessed; SARA status: No Status; IUCN status: Least Concern; Description.
The above picture shows a close up of a Common Garter Snake with numbers from 1-7 printed on the upper labial scales.
A Valley Gartersnake at a creek in the Plumas County mountains. Valley Garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis fitchi), one of a handful of T. sirtalis subspecies, shows a light cream or white color on the lower jaw, followed sometimes with a red spot on the neck. Click map to enlarge and see key to other subspecies. Gartersnakes have toxins in their saliva which can be deadly to their prey and their bite might produce an unpleasant reaction in humans, but they are not considered dangerous to humans.
This snake is found in meadows and at the edges of clearings in forests. California Gartersnakes Identification Key, Key to Identifying California Gartersnake Species. The Northwestern garter snake (Thamnophis ordinoides) are another West Coast specialty with a presence in Washington, Oregon and California. Juvenile, coastal San Luis Obispo County, just north of the Santa Barbara County line. A medium-sized snake with a head barely wider than the neck and keeled dorsal scales. Checkered Garter snakes are mostly a Texas species. Three different subspecies of Western Terrestrial Garter Snakes (Thamnophis elegans) inhabit western North America.
), This unusually-colored adult was found eating a California Toad in Lake County. A Valley Gartersnake is discovered resting in the sun near the edge of a mountain pond which is still half-surrounded by snow. For more information, check out How It Works. A Resistant Predator and Its Toxic Prey: Persistence of Newt Toxin Leads to Poisonous (Not Venomous) Snakes.