What Snakes have you ever caught in Ontario?

PaulBar · 03-02-03, 02:48 PM

Everyone,

Since I was a kid I have searched for snakes here in Toronto and up north in Ontario. I was wondering what snakes the other herpers in the forum had observed in the wild in Ontario.
Of course I catch and release all snakes since I don't believe in keeping wild caught snakes since if you do you are reducing the wild population.

Here's my list;

- Eastern Milk Snakes (dark phase near Fenelon Falls)
- Eastern Garter Snakes (near Fenelon Falls)
(for some reason I haven't seen many Garters in 2002 - I think their wild population must be down recently - perhaps the reduction of the frog population is hurting the garters)
- Redbelly Snakes (near Fenelon Falls)
- Dekay Brown Snakes (in Fenelon and Scarborough)
- Green Grass Snakes (near Fenelon - these guys are very rare I wonder if anyone else has ever caught one of these - they are like a redbelly snake but entirely green - I have only seen one
in the wild in over 20 years of searching for snakes - there is one in the ROM which was collected in the same area Fenelon Falls)

I also find many salamanders - black with yellow spots, black with blue spots. redbacks etc. And of course many painted turtles.

Please let me know which snakes you have found in Ontario.

Regards,

Paul

snakemann87 · 03-02-03, 03:25 PM

wow nice list, heres mine, LOL
-many garter snakes
-black rat snake(big)
-many salamanders
-many american toads

i think i beat ya.

Kathy · 03-02-03, 03:59 PM

I caught a green grass snake about 8-10 years ago. It was up at my cottage (north of kingston) and just happened to see him on the beach. When I let him go in the grass, I lost sight of him almost instantly, they really blend well!

depressor86 · 03-02-03, 04:04 PM

ive caught a small light brown snake, looked like a milk but i have no idea, it was pretty young
also ive seen what i could have sworn to be a rattler on my street (burlington)

Jeff Hathaway · 03-02-03, 05:57 PM

Ontario snake species I've found (in Ontario, alive, in the wild- DOR and captives don't count):

Red-bellied snakes, too many to count, (most recently on my own property here in Orillia)
Brown (Dekay) snakes, tmtc, (in my old backyard in Toronto, and elsewhere)
Ringneck snakes, 2, Kawartha Highlands and Georgian Bay
Smooth Green snake (the correct common name of the 'green grass snake'), 3, Rideau area, Georgian Bay, Montreal River (possibly the most northerly record for the species)
Eastern Garter, including melanistic- too many to count, everywhere
Eastern Milk, tmtc, most of southern Ontario
Northern Water, tmtc, most of southern Ontario
Lake Erie Water, tmtc, Pelee Island
Eastern Hognose, 1, French River
Eastern Fox, tmtc, Pelee Island and Point Pelee
Blue Racer, ~12, Pelee Island
Black Rat, 1, Rideau area
Eastern Massasauga, 1, Georgian Bay

Still need to find: Ribbon, Butler's garter, red-sided garter, queen

Jeff Hathaway
Sciensational Sssnakes!!

Jeff Hathaway · 03-02-03, 06:00 PM

depressor86,

If the little snake you found was uniform brown, perhaps with little black spots (not blotches), it was most likely a brown snake.

The 'rattler' was probably a milk snake- there aren't any rattlesnakes in Burlington (wild ones, anyway- who knows what's in someone's basement!).

Jeff Hathaway
Sciensational Sssnakes!!

depressor86 · 03-02-03, 06:05 PM

the little snake was a very light brown with a jungle like pattern
the second, about 4 inches long was darker but very very aggresive. it coiled into a strike position and went after anything it saw move

Jeff Hathaway · 03-02-03, 06:15 PM

depressor86,

Can you describe the 'jungle-like' pattern? Brown snakes have not particular pattern. Assuming that it was different from the second snake, a baby northern water is a possibility. They are found in Burlington, usually close to Bronte Creek.

Given the behaviour the second one does sound like a baby milk- they will often strike at anything, but don't mistake that for aggression! They are simply afraid for their lives, and rightly so, since almost everything will eat them at that size. Check out http://www.scisnake.com/animals/onta...tion.html#milk to see a picture of an eastern milk to compare.

Jeff Hathaway
Sciensational Sssnakes!!

Swampwalker · 03-03-03, 03:26 PM

SNAKES

Eastern Milk Snake, Lampropeltis triangulum triangulum
Northern Red-bellied Snake, Storeria occipitomaculata occipitomaculata
E. Garter Snake, Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis
N. Ribbon Snake, Thamnophis sauritus septentionalis
N. Water Snake, Nerodia sipedon insularum
Lake Erie Water Snake, Nerodia sipedon sipedon
N. Brown Snake, Storeria dekayi dekayi
Eastern Fox Snake, Elaphe vulpina gloydi Pelee Island
Blue Racer Coluber, constrictor foxii Pelee Island

TURTLES

Snapping Turtle, Chelydra serpentina serpentina
Midland Painted Turtle, Chrysemys picta marginatta
Blandings Turtle, Emydoidea blandingii
Spotted Turtle, Clemmys Guttata

FROGS

Bullfrog, Rana Catesbeiana
N. Leopard Frog, Rana pipiens
N. Spring Peeper, Pseudacris crucifer crucifer
Gray Tree Frog, Hyla versicolor

The complete list including non-Ontario species can be found at:
http://www.pipcom.com/~jstick/life.html

Swampwalker · 03-03-03, 03:43 PM

Young Milk Snake

Adult Milk Snake

Massassauga Rattlesnake

Xetox · 03-03-03, 04:09 PM

Only been to ontario once in my life for a day, and I was 5 so I can say I have never caught one herp there

Am I the only one from missouri or kansas here?

Matt · 03-03-03, 04:48 PM

highlights were eastern hog and eatern massasauga, only seen 1 of each
would like to see a butlers garter, but chances may be getting slimer......I'll try again this year

PaulBar · 03-03-03, 11:55 PM

Swampwalker,

Thanks for those great pictures of Rattlers and Milk Snakes from Ontario.

Xetox, (member from Kansas City, USA)

I think you actually might be the only one from Missouri or Kansas here. Have you experienced many tornadoes?
I bet u have.

As far as Ontario goes, we have lots of wildlife up here, including many different reptiles.

I think its cool that we have people from all over North America and from the US here at Snakes.com. Despite our stupid Prime Minister and the liberal party cabinet minister gaffs about Americans, 99 % of Canadians really like Americans and the USA.

I know I do.

Cheers,

Paul

tabastifur · 03-12-03, 07:40 PM

I can tell you all, that I was with Depressor 86 the day we found the so called "Young Milk Snake" and I can vouch for him and say that I was almost sure it was a rattler also. Some people believe that there are no rattlers in Burlington, but again, this is not true. Thier numbers have diminished a lot, but they are still around. The chances of seeing them are slim to none, but I believe I have. Unfortunately I didn't have the nuts to capture him for further analysis. And I probably won't ever see one again.

-Dan

Jeff Hathaway · 03-14-03, 08:19 PM

Dan,

I don't mean to slight either you or Depressor86, but I have had many, many people claim to have seen rattlesnakes that turned out to be milksnakes. Some of these cases involved photos, captured specimens, etc. and one case I know of almost got published in a newspaper (complete with photo of a milk). It is easy to confuse milks, young fox snakes, and even hognose and waters for massasaugas.

I won't say there are no rattlers in Burlington- who knows what lurks in someone's collection there. However, there are no populations of wild rattlesnakes in Burlington, and it appears that there probably never were. As far as we can tell from early records, massasaugas petered out around Hamilton. I would give you better odds of catching an escaped captive rattlesnake in Burlington than a wild specimen.

If you do see another, get a photograph. If it actually is a rattlesnake, don't feel bad about not having 'nuts' or anything else- venomous snakes are best left alone unless you are experienced in dealing with them.

Jeff Hathaway
Sciensational Sssnakes!!