what kind of snake is this

[Pyro12]

Does anyone know what kind of snake this is. Really pretty, is green on the top half, has darker round spots, a orangish colored stripe down is back and white/grey colored sides I found it in my yard. Im in Orlando,Florida if that helps at all
Thanks in advance
heres a pichttp://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/3300pic004-med.jpg

[reverendsterlin]

looks like it might be Thamnophis marcianus

[Oliverian]

Perhaps a checkered garter? Its a bit fuzzy, but that was my first impression.

[lilyskip]

I dunno, but if you don't plan to put it in a box with adequate heating/water (dunno if it's already being heated) then let it go (if you haven't already)...

[enso]

Amen Rev, amen!!! Checkered Garter.
Edit: Checkers don't have a range in Florida, my apologies. More likely an Eastern Garter. Boo enso boo!!!

[Burm41]

Yea i would think it would be a Checkered Garter i looked in my book and glanced on what looked like to be the snake in this your photo.

[Vanan]

That's what I thought too, considering T. marcianus aren't found in FL. I say T. sirtalis.

[jaybox_reptiles]

its defenitly a checkered garter

[TheRedDragon]

Looks like a checkered garter to me. :)

[enso]

Yes, it LOOKS like a Checkered Garter, but checkereds are NOT found in FL!!! Checkereds are found in TX, Mexico and a few areas in the surrounding south west United States, it's not a checkered. Localitys of the Common Garter more specificaly the Eastern locality look like this and they ARE found in FL. So unless it was brought from the west and dropped in his yard in Florida, it can't be. This rant ends...

[killer Cichlidz]

I will say, Florida Blue Garter snake, they have various amounts of checkered patterns and have a wide range of color.....Here is a link to a photo of one.......http://freespace.virgin.net/alan.francis2/blue1.htm

Note the heavy pattern of checks

Or it could be, very unlikely (a wild checker) but someones pet snake that they didn't want anymore or got loose. In florida a checkered (I really dont think so) Texas is more like it;

Lu

[enso]

Agian, just another sub species of Thamnophis sirtalis, Common Garter Snake.

[sapphire_moon]

It's a beautiful snake. If it's wc I think you should let it go. I agree with lilyskip though to. If your going to keep it you should get it the proper heating, hides, and water.

[tai_pan1]

My first thought was an eastern garter. Check the side stripe. If it's restricted to scales in rows 2 and 3 it's an eastern. If not it's another species of garter.

[KingFfaj]

Actually you are all wrong:p its not Thamnophis marcianus (the Cheequred Garter) which ranges in Texas and neighbouring states, parts of arizona and SE Ca, and adjacent parts of mexico......
It is in fact Thamnophis elegans (the TERRESTRIAL Garter snake:p which can be found in most of the west half of the USA excluding deserts and adjacent parts of SW Canada, so there:p the eastern garter is not found in SW usa and looks nothing like the one in the pic (although T.e does have widley varying makings)
please dont disagree, i have proof and I wont be very happy:p

[tai_pan1]

Well, unless they moved Florida to the western half of the USA, you have just proven yourself wrong. Last time I checked, Orlando was in Florida, and Florida was on the east coast. How you can definitively state the kind of snake it is from one somewhat obscure photo is beyond me. As for your proof, I doubt you have any, and obviously I don't care if your happy.

Pyrol2 asked a question, people gave their thoughts. Some even gave ways to tell if the snake pictured is the one they think it is. I specifically mentioned to look at the scale rows on the side stripes. Eastern Garters are the only garter with the side stripe restricted to scale rows 2 and 3. Until you offer others viable information that they can use to correctly identify the snake, perhaps you should keep your drivel to yourself.

[ChokeOnSmoke]

Hey all I'm from Thunder Bay Ontario and I believe our only native snake is the eastern garter and I have never seen one that looked like that. They have less checkers and resemble a ribbon snake a fair amount.

[KingFfaj]

ok firstly that herp information is correct.
sorry people I got the geography bit wrong-Badly, in fact I know where Fl is I just wasnt thinkng properly and got my mental compass upside down, in that case it is probably the eastern (also highly variable) and again sorry for the bad post.
taipan1- no need to get offensive but wtf man, location is the only way to identify a garter properly as they can all look similar, and almost all can have a side line that is only 3 scales wide (if thats what you ment) what do you mean, "scale row"? do you mean width of the band, or distance from the ventral scales?

[Katt]

Sorry KingFfaj, if you knew what "scale row" meant, then you'd know there are definitive ways to identify a garter, regardless of geography.

Scale row in terms of garters is on what row counting from the ventrals the lateral stripe is on. It can differentiate from species to species.

To tell if it was a checkered, look at the neck, do you see a clear definited yellow crescent at the edge of the mouth?

[KingFfaj]

ok thanx for setting me straight there

[tai_pan1]

Thanks Katt, you explained it much better than I would have. As for telling a garter by "looks", that can be very tricky. I have an eastern that looks just like the one in the picture, and I have an eastern that looks nothing like the one in the picture. I know that the only definitive way to ID an eastern is by which scale rows the stripe is on. Thanks for explaining clearly what I did not.

Mike