The United States
- Garter snake species found in the United States
- Legal status
- Regional field guides and books about garter snakes
Garter Snake Species Found in the United States
- Pacific Coast Aquatic Garter Snake, Thamnophis atratus (Kennicott, 1860)
- Short-headed Garter Snake, Thamnophis brachystoma (Cope, 1892)
- Butler’s Garter Snake, Thamnophis butleri (Cope, 1889)
- Sierra Garter Snake, Thamnophis couchii (Kennicott, 1859)
- Black-necked Garter Snake, Thamnophis cyrtopsis (Kennicott, 1860)
- Western Terrestrial Garter Snake, Thamnophis elegans (Baird and Girard, 1853)
- Mexican Garter Snake, Thamnophis eques (Reuss, 1834)
- Giant Garter Snake, Thamnophis gigas Fitch, 1940
- Two-striped Garter Snake, Thamnophis hammondii (Kennicott, 1860)
- Checkered Garter Snake, Thamnophis marcianus (Baird and Girard, 1853)
- Northwestern Garter Snake, Thamnophis ordinoides (Baird and Girard, 1852)
- Western Ribbon Snake, Thamnophis proximus (Say, 1823)
- Plains Garter Snake, Thamnophis radix (Baird and Girard, 1853)
- Narrow-headed Garter Snake, Thamnophis rufipunctatus (Cope, 1875)
- Eastern Ribbon Snake, Thamnophis sauritus (Linnaeus, 1766)
- Common Garter Snake, Thamnophis sirtalis (Linnaeus, 1758)
Legal Status
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Municipal by-laws may prohibit the keeping of garter snakes. Check with your city, town, county or municipal office.
Disclaimer: This section should not be construed as legal advice. While every effort at accuracy is made, mistakes can happen and the interpretation presented here could be wrong. Please check with your provincial wildlife agency if the legal status of garter snakes is a concern.
Regional Field Guides
Reptiles of Missouri by Paul Anderson
Handbook of Reptiles and Amphibians of Florida: The Snakes by Ray E. Ashton
Amphibians and Reptiles of Kentucky by Roger William Barbour
Florida’s Snakes: A Guide to Their Identification and Habits by R. D. Bartlett and Patricia P. Bartlett
Snakes of North America: Western Region by R. D. Bartlett and Alan Tennant
A Field Guide to Snakes of California by Philip R. Brown
Amphibians and Reptiles in Kansas by Joseph T. Collins
Snakes of Utah by Douglas C. Cox et al.
Amphibians and Reptiles of New Mexico by William G. Degenhardt
Amphibians and Reptiles of New England by Richard A. Degraaf
The Amphibians and Reptiles of Louisiana by Harold A. Dundee et al.
Snakes of the United States and Canada by Carl H. Ernst and Evelyn M. Ernst
Snakes of Georgia and South Carolina by Whit Gibbons et al.
Amphibians and Reptiles in Colorado by Geoffrey A. Hammerson
Amphibians and Reptiles of the Great Lakes Region by James H. Harding
Amphibians and Reptiles in Alaska the Yukon and Northwest Territories by Robert Parker Hodge
Michigan Snakes by J. Alan Holman et al.
Amphibians and Reptiles of Pennsylvania and the Northeast by Arthur C. Hulse et al.
Maine Amphibians and Reptiles by Malcolm Hunter et al.
Amphibians and Reptiles of Missouri by Tom Johnson
Amphibians and Reptiles of Connecticut and Adjacent Regions by Michael W. Klemens
Amphibians and Reptiles of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks by Edward D. Koch
Snakes of Virginia by Donald W. Linzey and Michael J. Clifford
The ROM Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of Ontario by Ross D. MacCulloch
Amphibians and Reptiles of the Carolinas and Virginia by Bernard S. Martof
Amphibians and Reptiles of Indiana by Sherman A. Minton
The Reptiles of Virginia by Joseph C. Mitchell
The Reptiles and Amphibians of Alabama by Robert H. Mount
Amphibians and Reptiles of the Pacific Northwest by Ronald A. Nussbaum et al.
Amphibians and Reptiles Native to Minnesota by Barney Oldfield and John J. Moriarty
Reptiles of North Carolina by Willam M. Palmer
The Amphibians and Reptiles of Alberta by Anthony P. Russell and Aaron M. Bauer
Reptiles of the Northwest by Alan St. John
Reptiles of Washington and Oregon by Robert M. Storm et al.
Reptiles and Amphibians of Michigan: Field Guide by Stan Tekiela
Reptiles and Amphibians of Minnesota: Field Guide by Stan Tekiela
Reptiles and Amphibians of Wisconsin: Field Guide by Stan Tekiela
Snakes of Florida by Alan Tennant
A Field Guide to Texas Snakes by Alan Tennant
Snakes of North America: Eastern and Central Regions by Alan Tennant
The Amphibians and Reptiles of Arkansas by Stanley E. Trauth et al.
Reptiles of Oklahoma by Robert G. Webb
Texas Snakes by John E. Werler and James R. Dixon
Amphibians and Reptiles of Montana by J. Kirwin Werner et al.
Amphibians and Reptiles of Delmarva by James White Jr. and Amy Wendt White
Garter and Water Snakes
The Snake Scientist