Western Terrestrial Garter Snake
Scientific Name: Thamnophis elegans
Alternate Name(s): terrestrial garter snake, wandering garter snake
Distribution: western North America from British Columbia, Alberta, and Manitoba south to California, Arizona, and New Mexico
Habitat: lowlands, high mountains, grasslands, rocky hillsides, forests, wetlands up 3400 meters
Life Span: 18 years
Size: length 110 centimeters
Coloring: olive-green to brown (sometimes even red) on top, with a yellow dorsal stripe and a single lateral stripe on each side of the body; dark spots on the back; underside is gray or beige
Eyes: round pupils
Diet: slugs, worms, snails, leeches, fish, mice, small birds, insects, amphibians (frogs, tadpoles), carrion
Predator(s): hawks, foxes, skunks, badgers, minks, bullfrogs, other snakes, cats
Behavior: diurnal, nonmigratory
Reproduction: breeding season in spring; each female bears 20-40 young, each 20-22 centimeters long
Conservation Status: least concern (IUCN 3.1); population stable
Other Notes: low-level predator that eats many small animals and in turn provides food for top-level predators
Caution: This snake's bite may be toxic. It may cause redness and swelling in some people.
Interesting Facts:
Alternate Name(s): terrestrial garter snake, wandering garter snake
Distribution: western North America from British Columbia, Alberta, and Manitoba south to California, Arizona, and New Mexico
Habitat: lowlands, high mountains, grasslands, rocky hillsides, forests, wetlands up 3400 meters
Life Span: 18 years
Size: length 110 centimeters
Coloring: olive-green to brown (sometimes even red) on top, with a yellow dorsal stripe and a single lateral stripe on each side of the body; dark spots on the back; underside is gray or beige
Eyes: round pupils
Diet: slugs, worms, snails, leeches, fish, mice, small birds, insects, amphibians (frogs, tadpoles), carrion
Predator(s): hawks, foxes, skunks, badgers, minks, bullfrogs, other snakes, cats
Behavior: diurnal, nonmigratory
Reproduction: breeding season in spring; each female bears 20-40 young, each 20-22 centimeters long
Conservation Status: least concern (IUCN 3.1); population stable
Other Notes: low-level predator that eats many small animals and in turn provides food for top-level predators
Caution: This snake's bite may be toxic. It may cause redness and swelling in some people.
Interesting Facts:
- Garter snakes give birth to live young, unlike most reptiles.
- If threatened, a garter snake may spray musk, much like a skunk.
- Sometimes thousands of garter snakes will hibernate together in the same den and return to the same den every year.