Pacific Coast Aquatic Garter Snake

Thamnophis atratus (Kennicott, 1860)

Alternate Name	Santa Cruz Garter Snake
Spanish Name(s)	Culebra de Agua Nómada Occidente
U.S. Range	California and Oregon
Legal Status	None known. Consult provincial or state pages for legal restrictions on keeping this species in captivity.
Diet	Mainly amphibians (frogs, toads and aquatic salamanders); some small fish.
Max. Recorded Length	101.6 cm
Pet Trade Availability	3 – Frequently available.
Captivity Rating	3 – Good captive.

Santa Cruz Garter Snake Thamnophis atratus atratus (Kennicott, 1860): Found in central and southern California.
Oregon Garter Snake Thamnophis atratus hydrophilus Fitch, 1936: Found in northern California and Oregon.
Diablo Range Garter Snake Thamnophis atratus zaxanthus Boundy, 1999: New subspecies. CNAH note.

Aquatic (Coast) Garter Snake Thamnophis atratus aquaticus Fox, 1951: Now considered intergrades of T. a. atratus and T. a. hydrophilus. CNAH note.

The description for this species has not yet been written.

A Web site for garter snake enthusiasts, Gartersnake.info provides information on every species of garter snake, including articles, answers to your questions, and the most comprehensive guide to keeping them in captivity on the web.

Gartersnake.info is run by Jonathan Crowe; contact him with your questions or comments. Stay up to date by subscribing to the RSS feed, or go back in time and read earlier articles and blog entries in the archives.

Garter Snakes in Spring
Photographers capture images of garter snakes emerging from hibernation. (Apr 26)
Garter Snakes in Winter
In winter, garter snakes are supposed to be hibernating. This presents some challenges when one turns up in your basement, or when you’re keeping them as pets over the winter. (Jan 7)
You Can’t Tease-Feed a Garter Snake
Garter snakes are active hunters rather than ambush predators, and that has implications for how you feed them in captivity. (Updated) (Nov 22)