Coolest garter snake...

Jeff_Favelle · 09-11-02, 08:58 PM

I don't think this subspecies is described yet. Crappy picture, but this little guy was so docile, I almost stepped on him. But they are fast when they want to be!! Like greased lightning!!

Jeff_Favelle · 09-11-02, 09:00 PM

But beside that bright yellow stripe is tons of red flecks all the way down the snake. Hands down the coolest garter I've ever seen ('cept maybe that picture of the one that Cranwill found). There seems to be quite the population of them at work.

sophia · 09-11-02, 09:27 PM

Looks like an Eastern Garter (Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis) - stripes confined to rows 2 and 3, extremely variable in color and pattern; either stripes or spots may predominate. Normall three yellowish stripes, but they may be brownish, greenish, or bluish instead. Ground color black, dark brown, green, or olive. Usually a double row of alternating black spots between stripes; the spots sometimes very prominent and invading the stripes; occasional specimens are virtually stripless. Belly greenish or yellowish, with two rows of indistinct black spots partially hidden under overlapping portions of ventrals. Some individuals especially from the western part of range, have red or orange on skin between dorsal scales. Jet black melanistic specimens are found occasionally, especially near the shores of Lake Erie.

Range: Canada north of the Great Lakes to Gulf of Mexico and west to Minn. and e. Texas.

Resource : Peterson Field Guides Reptiles and Amphibians Eastern/Central North America

I caught one of these hiding out in our U-Haul truck last summer!

LOL

Tay

Tim_Cranwill · 09-11-02, 09:35 PM

I have the Barron's Garter and Ribbon Snake book. I'll look it up.

sophia · 09-11-02, 09:55 PM

Cranwill, tell me what you have on the Giant Garter, I'm almost sure that's what is hanging out by the back door here but I need a better description than what I've found thus far and a book that deals specifically with those snakes is more than likely a better resource than what I have presently.

Thanks
Tay

Tim_Cranwill · 09-11-02, 10:42 PM

I'll check on that too. How big is this snake, by the way?

It's a real shame thet Garters are so unpopular. They really are a great snake. Easy to feed, easy to breed (live born young), and they are not as secretive as most other snakes. I bet if they only lived in Africa, we'd be all over those suckers!

09-11-02, 11:21 PM

looks like an eastern to me

sophia · 09-11-02, 11:47 PM

Cranwill, it's pretty large, about 5ft, I'm almost positive it's a Giant, just want a little more info.

Tay

Jeff_Favelle · 09-12-02, 09:28 AM

Pretty hard for it to be an Eastern Garter snake, when I live off the west coast of BRITISH COLUMBIA!!! (Ha ha, north of Washington.....STATE).

Tim_Cranwill · 09-12-02, 09:52 AM

With Garters, it's very hard to tell certain sub species apart without a scale count. The one in Jeff's photo, I would guess, would be a Western Terrestrial. They can have varying amounts of red on the sides.

As for the Giant Garter, 5 feet is pretty big. The biggets ones I've seen were 3 1/2. I'd love to see a picture of that big guy.

stewart · 09-12-02, 12:30 PM

It looks like it could be a red-sided garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis). According to the Peterson Field Guide: "in many, red is largely confined to skin between the scales"

sophia · 09-12-02, 01:35 PM

Jeff,

Ya never know, could have been one of us chronic pranksters messin' with your head that put him there... muh ha ha *G*...

ya never know ....

Tay

sparkon16 · 09-12-02, 01:57 PM

i have 3 red siders and they look almost identical

Tim_Cranwill · 09-12-02, 02:01 PM

Way to go sparkon16! It's nice to hear someone is keeping Garters. I just let go of my collection of Garters to free up some room, but they were great snakes. I had 3.2 adults and 30+ babies! I enjoyed keeping them, but it would be illegal for me to sell the offspring, so on account of the time and money I'd need to spend on them, I decided to free them.

Check out this guy's site....

http://www.gartersnake.co.uk/

He's a nice guy and has a great collection.

Tim_Cranwill · 09-13-02, 06:06 PM

Well, Ilooked up the one you found Jeff.

Puget Sound Garter Snake; Thamnophis sirtalis pickeringii, is a dark race of western Washington and British Columbia.

Could be it.

Giant Garters aren't in the book. I've never heard of them myself, but that means nothing. It mentions that some Garters may reach 4' in lenght... so 5' is pretty damn big. Maybe you should catch the guy and snap a picture of him... if you can.