Photo: Heidi Rockney, Burkey Museum
People get very passionate about saving the whale, but when something like the Florida indigo snake is endangered there are not a lot of people out there holding up placards. Gary Larson.
Garter snakes in general are the most likely snake to encounter in North America the common garter snake is, well, quite common. The species color is variable but generally has a pattern of yellow stripes running the length of the back on a black, brown, or greenish background. They grow to between 22 – 55 inches and weigh about 5 oz. or so.
Garter snakes in general are the most likely snake to encounter in North America the common garter snake is, well, quite common. The species color is variable but generally has a pattern of yellow stripes running the length of the back on a black, brown, or greenish background. They grow to between 22 – 55 inches and weigh about 5 oz. or so.
Snakes that live in the southern U.S. may be active all year but those in cooler northern areas typically hibernate over the winter, usually in large groups. On a warm spring day, they can greet the sun in mass, which may be unnerving to the uninitiated. Lots o’ Snakes
The males leave the hibernation burrows first. Interestingly, some males will release a fake female pheromone leading the other males away from the burrow. After sometime the pheromone is “turned off” and the trickster races back to the burrow to get the first crack at the emerging females. Getting ahead of the race is important as males generally outnumber females, who can get wrapped up in a ball of 10 males all competing for attention. Common garter snakes will travel up to 10 miles between their summer feeding areas and their winter hibernaculum.
Garter snakes are ovoviviparous – eggs develop within the female and then are born live. Average litters are 10-15 with larger litters as high as 32, though up to 85 have been recorded.
Garter snakes are diurnal, hunting for amphibians, earthworms, fish, small rodents, and sometimes small birds. They can distinguish between the odor of old and new earthworm feces to concentrate on the latter when hunting. In general snakes must ingest about six to thirty meals a year totaling 55-300 percent of their body weight. One meal of 40 percent of its mass could sustain a viper for several months. Conversely, many snakes forage regularly when prey availability is high – common garter snakes can catch up to 14 earthworms an hour.
The species has a mild venom in their saliva that may be toxic to small animals but is not dangerous to humans. They do not sport fangs but rows of backward leaning teeth that aid in pushing prey down the gullet. It also rakes your skin if you are slow to pull back your hand when they strike, which I’ve experienced on more than one occasion.
Garter snakes have another defense. They secrete a strong, musky smelling fluid from their postanal glands when handled. Some refer to it as a foul smell, I prefer the term distinctive. When catching a garter snake, it is advisable to pick it up gingerly, by the head and tail and turning the business part of the snake away from you. As this isn’t always possible when pursing an escaping target, I’ve picked up that unique smell on my hands that lasts for hours, many times. Towards the end of the day, even after washing, a mild scent remains on the back of my hands, reminding me of a good day in the field.
Thamnophis – thamnos; Greek for shrub or bush; ophio, Greek for serpent; sirtalis, Latin for “like a garter”.
Common garter snakes have the ability to resist the tetrodotoxin that resides in the skin of rough-skinned newts. In areas where snakes occupy habitat without newts they show very little tolerance for the toxin. There is a physiological expense for this resistance, snakes will get lethargic while digesting a newt.
A number of animals, including large fish, bull frogs, snapping turtles, hawks, raccoons, foxes, and wild turkeys will prey upon garter snakes.
Staying close to home under the present circumstances I’ve been making more use of Seattle’s parks. I was over at Discovery Park (>500 acres) the other week and as I returned to my car parked outside the park I saw a dark snake cross the path and head for the underbrush. I naturally caught it and it took me a minute to figure out what it was. It was jet black without any hint of striping. I didn’t have my reading glasses with me but I was able to count the labial scales to determine it was either a NW garter snake or a common garter snake. Based on the shape of the head I went with a juvenile common garter snake. Though I always keep an eye out, this was the first snake I captured in the city limits in 30 years. Hoot! And I’ve never seen such a dark colored garter snake.
See the details on this site Nature Mapping
After conducting a little research, I found that, in 1804, Lewis and Clark recorded a series of observations of melanistic (opposite of albino) garter snakes on July 23rd and 24th near the present day town of Townsend in Broadwater County, Montana. On the 23rd Lewis noted:
I saw a black snake today about two feet long the belly of which was black as any other part or as jet itself. It had 128 scuta on the belley and 63 on the tail.
The following day further up the Missouri River he writes:
…we observed a great number of snakes about the water of a brown uniform colour, some black and others speckled on the abdomen and striped with black and brownish yellow on the back and sides. The first of these is the largest being about 4 feet long, the second is of that kind mentioned yesterday, and the last is much like the garter snake of our country and about its size. None of these species are poisouous I examined their teeth and found them innocent. They all appear to be fond of the water, to which they fly for shelter immediately on being pursued.
Through recent genetic work in the area it was determined that this dark phase was a garter snake and likely the western terrestrial garter snake (T. elegans).