Common Garter Snake
Thamnophis sirtalis • Order Squamata, Suborder Serpentes, Family Colubridae, Subfamily Natricinae, Genus Thamnophis, Species T. sirtalis
Widely distributed across North America, ranging from Nova Scotia and southern Canada down through the United States to Florida and the Gulf Coast.
Look up Common Garter Snake in the Snake Encyclopedia →Family
Order Squamata, Suborder Serpentes, Family Colubridae, Subfamily Natricinae, Genus Thamnophis, Species T. sirtalis
Conservation
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern, though localized populations face threats from habitat loss, road mortality, and persecution.
Physical Description
Displays distinct longitudinal light stripes running down a darker brown or olive body, a rounded head, and keeled scales.
Size & Dimensions
Specimens typically range from 46 to 137 cm in total length, with females generally growing larger than males.
Habitat
Found near water sources such as wetlands, marshes, streams, and ditches, as well as meadows, fields, and woodlands from sea level to high elevations.
Diet & Feeding
An active forager feeding primarily on amphibians, earthworms, small fish, and occasionally other small vertebrates.
Reproduction
Ovoviviparous species that mates in spring and gives birth to live litters averaging 10 to 30 young, occasionally up to 80.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern, though localized populations face threats from habitat loss, road mortality, and persecution.
Cultural Significance
Frequently kept as educational pets and plays a crucial ecological role in controlling amphibian and invertebrate populations.
Notable Features
Exhibits communal overwintering behavior in large underground dens called hibernacula, emerging in high numbers during spring.