About Garter Snakes
California red-sided garter snake, California
Garter snakes are small, harmless North and Central American snakes, of the genus Thamnophis.
In the main they are found close to water, as their main diet is amphibians, worms and inverterbrates, although some species and subspecies will eat rodents and live further away from water.
Unlike the majority of other non-venomous snakes kept in captivity, garter snakes give birth to live young.
Western terrestrial garter snake, California
Garter snakes are small, harmless North and Central American snakes, of the genus Thamnophis.
In the main they are found close to water, as their main diet is amphibians, worms and inverterbrates, although some species and subspecies will eat rodents and live further away from water.
Unlike the majority of other non-venomous snakes kept in captivity, garter snakes give birth to live young.
There are over 30 species, and numerous subspecies of garter snake. The one with the widest distribution by far is the (sometimes inaptly named!) common garter snake, Thamnophis sirtalis, which ranges from the Maritime provinces in far northeast of North America (Maritine garter snake, Thamnophis sirtalis pallidulus) to southern California in the far southwest (California red-sided garter snake, Thamnophis sirtalis infernalis). This species alone contains some of the most spectacular subspecies, including the San Francisco garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis tetrataenia), the Oregon red-spotted garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis concinnus), the afore-mentioned California red-sided garter snake, and the flame garter snake (actually this is not a distinct subspecies, but is a local colour variant of the Eastern garter snake, Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis, found in some populations in or close to Quebec).
Valley garter snake, California
Unlike many snakes commonly kept in captivity, garter snakes are diurnal (active by day) and thefore can be more interesting to observe than many other commonly kept snakes (many of which are nocturnal and spend much of their day hiding in their vivaria). They are generally quite lively snakes, and there is some evidence that they are more sociable than many other species of snake. It is not unusual, both in captivity and in the wild, to find garter snakes either basking, or hiding, together, despite the availability of other suitable spaces with identical conditions. Sometimes these can be snakes of the same age, or sex, and it is recognised that in some populations there are ‘nurseries’ where several gravid females may all bask together.
Puget Sound garter snake, blue phase, Washington
Unlike many snakes commonly kept in captivity, garter snakes are diurnal (active by day) and thefore can be more interesting to observe than many other commonly kept snakes (many of which are nocturnal and spend much of their day hiding in their vivaria). They are generally quite lively snakes, and there is some evidence that they are more sociable than many other species of snake. It is not unusual, both in captivity and in the wild, to find garter snakes either basking, or hiding, together, despite the availability of other suitable spaces with identical conditions. Sometimes these can be snakes of the same age, or sex, and it is recognised that in some populations there are ‘nurseries’ where several gravid females may all bask together.
Because most garter snakes live in temperate regions, they will usually hibernate for the winter. The hibernation period is longer the further north the distribution, and those in Canada may well hibernate for more than half of the year. In northern parts of the US and Canada garter snakes often gather in large dens (hibernacula), the most well known being in Narcisse, Manitoba, where tens of thousands of Canadian red-sided garters hibernate together. The picture here shows a small-scale emergence of male eastern garter snakes from hibernation in Quebec.
Eastern garter snakes emerging from hibernation, Quebec
