What Am I...? (Garter)

[Will]

I went out to a small 'pond' on our property for a look today. Well, it used to be a pond anyways, but it's long dried up with the dry weather these last couple years. After all the rains we've gotten over the last couple months, it's more of a marshy bog now. But there are frogs - you can hear them at night. And where there are frogs, I figured, there may just be garters as well. I caught one earlier this year in a Prov. Park just north of us, and I thought it may have been a Plains Garter - except Plains aren't supposed to be this far north and I didn't have a camera on me. It's supposed to be Red-Sided country here - We are just East of Edmonton.

I took a stroll out to the bog - it stinks like you would NOT believe in the heat of the day. Next time I'm bringing gum boots instead of sandals. :D Well, I spotted a couple today and grabbed one in a pillowcase and brought it back to the house to snap a few pics of her. She appeared to be female and appeared to be gravid(or just ate a REALLY big meal). Can anyone tell me if this is a Plains or Red-Sided...? I have more pics from all angles if need be. Afterwards, I DID walk her back and released her into the same bog, so if she is gravid, hopefully she produces a lot of babies for me to catch in the future...

TOP VIEW

http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/509/2033Untitled-11.jpg

HEAD SHOT

http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/509/2033Untitled-12.jpg

SIDE VIEW

http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/509/2033Untitled-13.jpg

[exotic_66]

im takin a guess..i say its a santa cruz garter (atratus) lol

~nessy~

[Vanan]

Definitely a T. s. parietalis. Lateral stripe on scale rows 3 and 4. T. radix have theirs on scale rows 2 and 3, and the stripe is only 1.5 scales wide.

[Will]

Thanks Vanan,

Last time I brought this up, you mentioned that the scale rows on the lateral stripes would ID the snake for me, so I made sure to snap a shot and hoped you'd reply.

Cheers

[exotic_66]

haha i learn something new everyday !

thanx vanan

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[Vanan]

Yep, I remember that. Funny how there's so lil red on the more northern populations eh?

[Will]

When I first started seeing them, I was thinking "Gee, these 'red-sided' garters don't have a whole lot of red on their sides..." :)

Now I know what to look for...

[Tim_Cranwill]

The red shows up when they are 1/2 way through a big frog! If they have any red... :D

[Kyle Barker]

do res sideds have 8 upper labials? sum reason i thought it was 7. anyway too lazy to look it up.