Western Ribbon Snake

Thamnophis proximus (Say, 1823)

Spanish Name(s)	Culebra Acuática Culebra Palustre (T. p. alpinus) Pichocuate (T. p. diabolicus) Culebra Cinta Golfo Litoral (T. p. orarius) Culebra Cinta Rayas-rojo (T. p. rubrilineatus) Chocoyita de Agua (T. p. rutiloris)
U.S. Range	Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin
Mexican Range	Campeche, Chiapas, Coahuila, Guerrero, Hildalgo, Nuevo Leon, Oaxaca, Puebla, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosi, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Veracruz and Yucatan
Central American Range	Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua
Legal Status	None known. Consult provincial or state pages for legal restrictions on keeping this species in captivity.
Diet	Mostly amphibians, but also fish.
Max. Recorded Length	90 cm (SVL)
Pet Trade Availability	4 – Readily available.
Captivity Rating	3 – Good captive.

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Chiapas Highland Ribbon Snake Thamnophis proximus alpinus Rossman, 1963: Found in Chiapas at high elevations.
Arid Land Ribbon Snake Thamnophis proximus diabolicus Rossman, 1963: Found in western and northwest Texas, eastern New Mexico, and northern Mexico.
Gulf Coast Ribbon Snake Thamnophis proximus orarius Rossman, 1963: Found along the Gulf Coast from the Mississippi Delta to Tamaulipas.
Western Ribbon Snake Thamnophis proximus proximus (Say, 1823): Found in the United States away from the Gulf Coast, Texas (though found in eastern Texas) and New Mexico.
Red-striped Ribbon Snake Thamnophis proximus rubrilineatus Rossman, 1963: An attractive red-striped subspecies limited to central Texas.
Gulf Coast Ribbon Snake Thamnophis proximus rutiloris (Cope, 1885): A Central American subspecies found from the Yucatan to Costa Rica.

Telling Garter Snakes and Ribbon Snakes Apart: This article explains how to figure out the difference between ribbon snakes and garter snakes when you encounter them in the wild. (May 30, 2006)
Questions About Ribbon Snakes in Captivity: Ribbon snakes are supposed to be less than satisfactory captives, but an encounter with some Northern Ribbon Snakes made me rethink that view. (June 4, 2004)