Thamnophis sirtalis

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Thamnophis sirtalis (Eastern Garter Snake)
Family Natricidae Genus Thamnophis Species
sirtalis
IDENTIFICATION

• base color is black, dark brown, green, or olive
• belly is greenish or yellowish with 2 rows of
  black spots that are not always distinct
• scales are keeled
• anal scales are single

• 18 26 inches (record 48 ¾ inches)
• one stripe runs down center of back
• varies in color and pattern
• usually 3 yellowish stripes run the length of
  the body (may be brownish, greenish, or bluish)

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HABITAT
REPRODUCTION

• moist, grassy environments
• found in meadows, marshes, woodlands, and
  hillsides
• found along streams and drainage ditches
• can survive extreme environmental conditions

• mating begins in spring after hibernation
• males leave den first and wait for females
• males attract females with pheromones
• females chooses mate, mates, and goes to the
  summer habitat to eat and find a birthing place
• ovoviviparous
• gestation 2 3 months
• litter range 10 40 young
• offspring are independent at birth

RANGE
From Florida to coastal Quebec, west to British
Columbia, couth into southern California (east of
the Sierras), throughout the less arid areas of
the southwest, and as far south as the Gulf of
Mexico in the eastern United States
FUN FACTS

• Wild live 2 years - Captive live 6
  10 years