Western Terrestrial Garter Snake
Thamnophis elegans (Baird and Girard, 1853)
| French Name | Couleuvre de l’ouest |
|---|---|
| Spanish Name | Culebra de Agua Nómada Occidental Terrestre |
| Subspecies | 6 (see below) |
| Max. Recorded Length | 107 cm; 42.1 inches |
| Pet Trade Availability | ★★★☆ (frequently available) |
| Captivity Rating | ★★★★ (excellent captive) |
Range
Canada: Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan.
USA: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming.
Mexico: Baja California.
Description
A widespread snake found across the western half of North America.
Thamnophis elegans has possibly the widest prey preferences of any natricine. It will eat amphibians, earthworms, fish, mammals and other reptiles, and is very easy to convert to mice in captivity. It will also eat other snakes, and is regarded as the most ophiophageous of the garter snakes. To prevent incidents of cannibalism, they should be kept one to a cage.
Subspecies
Up to six subspecies of Thamnophis vagrans have been recognized; three of the five found in the U.S. and Canada, however, are not recognized by Collins on the basis of recent research.
- Arizona Garter Snake
Thamnophis elegans arizonae Tanner and Lowe, 1989 - Found in Arizona and New Mexico. Poorly defined; subspecies not recognized by Collins.
- Mountain Garter Snake
Thamnophis elegans elegans (Baird and Girard, 1853) - Found in California, Nevada and Oregon.
- San Pedro Mártir Garter Snake
Thamnophis elegans hueyi (Van Denburgh and Slevin, 1923) - Found in Baja California.
- Coast Garter Snake
Thamnophis elegans terrestris Fox, 1951 - Found along the Pacific coast of California and Oregon. Subspecies not recognized by Collins.
- Wandering Garter Snake
Thamnophis elegans vagrans (Baird and Girard, 1853) - The subspecies with the broadest distribution.
- Upper Basin Garter Snake
Thamnophis elegans vascotanneri Tanner and Lowe, 1989 - Found in Utah and along Utah's borders with Arizona, Colorado and Wyoming. Poorly defined; subspecies not recognized by Collins.
Invalid Subspecies
- Klamath Garter Snake
Thamnophis elegans biscutatus (Cope, 1883) - Population now considered intergrades of T. e. elegans and T. e. vagrans.
- Mexican Wandering Garter Snake
Thamnophis elegans errans H. M. Smith, 1942 - Now considered a separate species, T. errans.
- (No common name found)
Thamnophis elegans nigrescens Johnson, 1947 - Dark Puget Sound area populations now considered T. e. vagrans.
Garter and Water Snakes
The Snake Scientist