Common garter snake

Thamnophis sirtalis · The common garter snake is a species of snake from the family Colubridae, native to North America and found widely across the continent.

Also called Common Gartersnake, Red-sided Garter Snake.

Common garter snake
Photo: Wilson44691, Public domain
Common garter snake
Photo: LassenNPS, Public domain
Common garter snake
Photo: 0x010C, CC BY-SA 4.0

Taxonomy

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassReptilia
OrderSquamata
FamilyColubridae
GenusThamnophis
SpeciesThamnophis sirtalis

Where it lives

Meadows, marshes and woods from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico and Florida.

Fun facts

  • Some sneaky males pretend to be females, using a fake female scent to lure rival males away. Then they race back to the den just as the real females come out.
  • During mating season, one or two females can be completely swamped by ten or more males in a wriggling "mating ball."
  • Garter snakes can keep the poisons from the amphibians they eat, which makes the snakes themselves poisonous to would-be predators.
  • Females give birth to 12 to 40 live young, sometime between July and October.

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Facts and taxonomy adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).