Common Garter Snake

Thamnophis sirtalis (Linnaeus, 1758)

Species Data

French NameCouleuvre rayée
Spanish Name(s)Culebra de Agua Nómada Común
Canadian Range Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec and Saskatchewan
U.S. Range Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming
Mexican Range Chihuahua
Legal StatusThe San Francisco Garter Snake, T. s. tetrataenia, is Endangered. Consult provincial or state pages for legal restrictions on keeping this species in captivity.
DietDietary generalists and opportunistic feeders, usually on amphibians, earthworms, and small mammals, as well as fish and leeches. Some populations are resistant to the toxic secretions of Rough-skinned Newts, Taricha granulosa.
Max. Recorded Length 137.2 cm
Pet Trade Availability4 – Readily available.
Captivity Rating4 – Excellent captive.

Subspecies

Texas Garter Snake
Thamnophis sirtalis annectens Brown, 1950
Brightly colored subspecies with thick lateral stripes, found in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas.
Red-spotted Garter Snake
Thamnophis sirtalis concinnus (Hallowell, 1852)
Spectacular subspecies from northwestern Oregon and southwestern Washington, often lacking lateral stripes, with a variable amount of red along the sides.
New Mexico Garter Snake
Thamnophis sirtalis dorsalis (Baird and Girard, 1853)
Found in Mexico and southern New Mexico.
Valley Garter Snake
Thamnophis sirtalis fitchi Fox, 1951
The subspecies found in the Rocky Mountains and interior ranges. Has only one row of red bars along the side.
California Red-sided Garter Snake
Thamnophis sirtalis infernalis (Blainville, 1835)
Beautiful snake from the California coast. Red side patterns with a red head.
Maritime Garter Snake
Thamnophis sirtalis pallidulus Allen, 1899
A checkered subspecies found in northeastern New England, Quebec, and the Maritime provinces.
Red-sided Garter Snake
Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis (Say, 1823)
The prairie subspecies, found as far north as Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, and as far south as the Oklahoma-Texas border. The subspecies found at the Manitoba snake dens.
Puget Sound Garter Snake
Thamnophis sirtalis pickeringii (Baird and Girard, 1853)
Northwestern Washington, Vancouver Island and the southwestern B.C. mainland.
Chicago Garter Snake
Thamnophis sirtalis semifasciatus Cope, 1892
Found in the Chicago vicinity. Sometimes not recognized as a valid subspecies; see Collins.
Blue-striped Garter Snake
Thamnophis sirtalis similis Rossman, 1965
Blue-striped subspecies from northwestern peninsular Florida. Not recognized by Collins as a valid subspecies. Difficult for hobbyists to differentiate Floridian Eastern Garter Snakes with a bluish hue.
Eastern Garter Snake
Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis (Linnaeus, 1758)
Wide-ranging (across most of eastern North America) and variable, with striped, checkered and melanistic populations, and some with considerable red coloration.
San Francisco Garter Snake
Thamnophis sirtalis tetrataenia (Cope, 1875)
Beautiful snake found only in San Mateo County, California. A federally endangered subspecies that cannot legally be kept in captivity in the U.S.

Photos

Eastern Garter Snake (T. s. sirtalis), melanistic form. Pelee Island, Ontario, 2002. Photo: Jonathan Crowe.

Eastern Garter Snake (T. s. sirtalis). Blainville, Quebec, 2003. Photo: Mathieu Ouellette.

Eastern Garter Snake (T. s. sirtalis). Terrebonne, Quebec, 2003. Photo: Mathieu Ouellette.

Description

The description for this species has not yet been written.

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