Species: Thamnophis elegans

Terrestrial Gartersnake

Species

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Encyclopedia of Puget Sound

Pale (but not white) stripes on sides of body on second and third scale rows above lateral edges of belly scales; middorsal stripe bright and extends length of body in some areas, stripe dull and fades at midbody in other areas; often two large blackish marks on neck; often irregular black marks on belly; usually eight upper labials on each side of head; narrow dark marks (if any) on upper lips confined to front edge of vertical suture between scales; dorsal scales keeled; anal scale usually singl; usually 21 scale rows at midbody. Total length up to 109 cm but in most areas few exceed 76 cm. Source: Hammerson (1999).

Classification

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Craniata

Class

Reptilia

Order

Squamata

Family

Colubridae

Genus

Thamnophis

NatureServe

Source:
ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.102240

Classification

Other Global Common Names

Terrestrial Garter Snake - Wandering Gartersnake - Western Terrestrial Garter Snake - couleuvre de l'Ouest

Informal Taxonomy

Animals, Vertebrates - Reptiles - Snakes

Formal Taxonomy

Animalia - Craniata - Reptilia - Squamata - Colubridae - Thamnophis - Cytochrome b phylogeny does not match the current subspecific classification of T. ELEGANS (Bronikowski and Arnold 2001). A range-wide assessment of genetic and morphological variation is needed.

Ecology and Life History

Migration

false - false - false

Non-migrant

false

Locally Migrant

false

Food Comments

Feeds on slugs, worms, snails, leeches, tadpoles, frogs, fish, mice, and occasionally small birds. Also eats insects, and carrion. Some forms capture prey in water, others feed entirely terrestrially (Nussbaum et al. 1983). Depends on amphibians in the high Sierra Nevada, California (Jennings et al. 1992).<br><br>At least in some parts of the range of this snake, the rear upper jaw teeth are relatively long and bladelike and apparently function in impaling, holding, and manipulating the prey. The snakes salivary secretions aid in breaking down prey tissues.

Reproduction Comments

Courtship and mating occur primarily in spring, soon after emergence from hibernation, though late summer sexual activity has been observed in some parts of the range. In the mountains, newborn individuals first appear most often in August and early September; at lower elevations births sometimes occurs as early as mid-July. Litter size usually is fewer than 20.

Length

107

Conservation Status

NatureServe Global Status Rank

Global Status Last Reviewed

2005-12-16

Global Status Last Changed

1996-10-30

Other Status

LC - Least concern

Distribution

Conservation Status Map

Global Range

H - >2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles) - H - The range extends from central British Columbia, central Alberta, and southwestern Manitoba south through all of the western United States (east to western South Dakota, western Nebraska, Colorado, extreme western Oklahoma, and New Mexico) to (disjunctly) northern Baja California (Sierra San Pedro Martir), with many isolated populations around the margins of the main range (Fitch 1983, Rossman et al. 1996, Grismer 2002, Stebbins 2003). Elevational range extends from sea level to 11,000 feet (3,355 meters), or higher in some locations (Hammerson 1999, Stebbins 2003).

Global Range Code

Global Range Description

>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)

ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.102240