Common Garter Snake
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Reptillia Order: Squamata Suborder: Serpentes Family: Colubridae Genus: Thamnophis Species: T. sirtalis
Binomial name
Thamnophis sirtalis (Linnaeus, 1758)

The Common Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis) is a non-venomous snake indigenous to North America. Most garter snakes have a pattern of yellow stripes on a brown background and their average length is about 1-1.5 metres (2-3.5 ft). Like all other snakes, garter snakes use their tongue to smell. From [1], a National Park Service web site. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ... “Animalia” redirects here. ... Typical Classes Subphylum Urochordata - Tunicates Ascidiacea Thaliacea Larvacea Subphylum Cephalochordata - Lancelets Subphylum Myxini - Hagfishes Subphylum Vertebrata - Vertebrates Petromyzontida - Lampreys Placodermi (extinct) Chondrichthyes - Cartilaginous fishes Acanthodii (extinct) Actinopterygii - Ray-finned fishes Actinistia - Coelacanths Dipnoi - Lungfishes Amphibia - Amphibians Reptilia - Reptiles Aves - Birds Mammalia - Mammals Chordates (phylum Chordata) include the vertebrates, together with... Subclasses Anapsida Diapsida Synonyms Reptilia Laurenti, 1768 Reptiles are tetrapods and amniotes, animals whose embryos are surrounded by an amniotic membrane, and members of the class Sauropsida. ... Suborders Lacertilia- Lizards Serpentes - Snakes Amphisbaenia - Worm lizards This article is about the Squamata order of reptiles. ... Families Acrochordidae Aniliidae Anomalepididae Anomochilidae Atractaspididae Boidae Bolyeriidae Colubridae Cylindrophiidae Elapidae Hydrophiidae Leptotyphlopidae Loxocemidae Pythonidae Tropidophiidae Typhlopidae Uropeltidae Viperidae Xenopeltidae Snakes are cold blooded legless reptiles closely related to lizards, which share the order Squamata. ... Genera According to ITIS: Adelophis Adelphicos Alsophis Amastridium Arizona Arrhyton Atractus Bogertophis Boiga Carphophis Cemophora Cerberus Chersodromus Chilomeniscus Chionactis Clelia Clonophis Coluber Coniophanes Conophis Conopsis Contia Cryophis Dendrelaphis Dendrophidion Diadophis Dipsas Dryadophis Drymarchon Drymobius Elaphe Enulius Eridiphas Erythrolamprus Farancia Ficimia Geagras Geophis Gyalopion Heterodon Hypsiglena Imantodes Lampropeltis Leptodeira Leptophis Liochlorophis... Species many — see text A garter snake, or garden snake, or gardner snake, is any species of North American snake within the genus Thamnophis. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal system of naming species. ... Carl Linnaeus, Latinized as Carolus Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as  , (May 23, 1707[1] – January 10, 1778), was a Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist[2] who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of nomenclature. ... blue: sea snakes, black: land snakes Superfamilies and Families Henophidia Aniliidae Anomochilidae Boidae Bolyeriidae Cylindrophiidae Loxocemidae Pythonidae Tropidophiidae Uropeltidae Xenopeltidae Typhlopoidea Anomalepididae Leptotyphlopidae Typhlopidae Xenophidia Acrochordidae Atractaspididae Colubridae Elapidae Hydrophiidae Viperidae A snake is a scaly, limbless, elongate reptile from the order Squamata. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ... The or meter (see spelling differences) is a measure of length. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ...

Habitat

The habitat of the garter snake ranges from forests, fields and prairies to streams, wetlands, meadows, marshes and ponds, and they are often found near water. They are semi-aquatic animals like most snakes. Habitats range from sea level to mountain locations. Their diet consists mainly of amphibians, slugs and earthworms, but also fish, small birds and rodents. Compared to the more aquatic species, garter snakes are not especially effective at catching fish. The animals that eat the common garter snake are: large fish, bull frogs, snapping turtles, milk snakes, hawks, and foxes. Habitat (which is Latin for it inhabits) is the place where a particular species live and grow. ... Animal environments are classified as either aquatic (water), terrestrial (land), or amphibious (water and land). ... For other uses, see Amphibian (disambiguation). ... For other meanings see Slug (disambiguation) Slugs are gastropods without or with very small shells, in contrast with snails from which they evolved, which have a prominent shell. ... Families   Acanthodrilidae   Ailoscolecidae   Alluroididae   Almidae   Criodrilidae   Eudrilidae   Exxidae   Glossoscolecidae   Lumbricidae   Lutodrilidae   Megascolecidae   Microchaetidae   Ocnerodrilidae   Octochaetidae   Sparganophilidae Earthworm is the common name for the largest members of the Oligochaeta (which is either a class or subclass depending on the author) in the phylum Annelida. ... A giant grouper at the Georgia Aquarium Fish are aquatic vertebrates that are typically cold-blooded; covered with scales, and equipped with two sets of paired fins and several unpaired fins. ... “Aves” redirects here. ... Suborders Sciuromorpha Castorimorpha Myomorpha Anomaluromorpha Hystricomorpha Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents. ... Genera See text Snapping turtles (or snappers) are large, New World freshwater turtles of the family Chelydridae. ... Binomial name Lampropeltis triangulum LaCépède, 1789 The milk snake (Lampropeltis triangulum) is a species of king snake. ... Genera Accipiter Micronisus Melierax Urotriorchis Erythrotriorchis The term hawk refers to birds of prey in any of three senses: Strictly, to mean any of the species in the bird sub-family Accipitrinae in the genera Accipiter, Micronisus, Melierax, Urotriorchis, and Megatriorchis. ... This article needs additional references or sources to facilitate its verification. ...

Life history

The common garter snake is a diurnal snake. In summer, it is most active in the morning and late afternoon; in cooler seasons or climates, it restricts its activity to the warm afternoons. A diurnal animal (dī-ŭrnəl) is an animal that is active during the daytime and sleeps during the night. ...

In warmer southern areas, the snake is active year-round; otherwise, it hibernates in common dens, sometimes in great numbers. On warm winter afternoons, some snakes have been observed emerging from their hibernacula to bask in the sun. This article refers to the process of hibernation in biology. ...

Garter snakes generally mate in March or April, after hibernation. The species is ovoviviparous; females give birth to a litter of 12-40 live young anytime from July through October. Ovoviviparous animals develop within eggs that remain within the mother up until they hatch or are about to. ...

Toxicity

The saliva of a garter snake may be toxic to amphibians and other small animals. For humans, a bite is not dangerous but may produce a swelling or a burning rash. Most garter snakes also secrete a foul-smelling fluid from postanal glands when handled or harmed. Like any predator they are highly unpredictable. Saliva is the watery and usually somewhat frothy substance produced in the mouths of humans and some animals. ... Toxic redirects here, but this is also the name of a song by Britney Spears; see Toxic (song) Look up toxic and toxicity in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Human submaxillary gland. ...

Ecology

Water contamination, urban expansion, and residential and industrial development are all threats to the garter snake’s species. The San Francisco Garter Snake (T.s. tetrataenia), which is extremely scarce and occurs only in the vicinity of ponds and reservoirs in San Mateo County, California, has been listed as an endangered species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service since 1967. Trinomial name Thamnophis sirtalis tetrataenia Cope, 1875 The San Francisco garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis tetrataenia) is a slender multi-colored colubrid snake. ... Official website: http://www. ... The Siberian Tiger, a subspecies of tiger. ... The USFWS logo The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is a unit of the United States Department of the Interior that is dedicated to managing and preserving wildlife. ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ...

Garter snakes can make excellent pets because they are small, easily kept in terrariums and feed readily on goldfish and other commercially available live foods. It is advisable not to give a steady diet of earthworms/nightcrawlers since these lack sufficient vitamins for the snake's health. Although they are usually found near water, the pet habitat must be dry with only a water bowl to avoid serious skin diseases. This is true of all snake species, including water snakes.They also have atendincy to blow up unexpectedly.

Care as pets

If you own a common garter snake as a pet, a 10-15 gallon tank should be enough for one snake. Adding a small tub of clean, de-chlorinated water to this tank allows the snake to drink and swim. This water should be changed about every week to prevent dirt and other material from being swallowed by the snake. Feeding is simple and only involves adding 2-4 rinsed earthworms (dirt on the worms may make the snake sick) to the tub. Families   Acanthodrilidae   Ailoscolecidae   Alluroididae   Almidae   Criodrilidae   Eudrilidae   Exxidae   Glossoscolecidae   Lumbricidae   Lutodrilidae   Megascolecidae   Microchaetidae   Ocnerodrilidae   Octochaetidae   Sparganophilidae Earthworm is the common name for the largest members of the Oligochaeta (which is either a class or subclass depending on the author) in the phylum Annelida. ...

Taxonomy

Current scientific classification recognizes thirteen subspecies: In zoology, as in other branches of biology, subspecies is the rank immediately subordinate to a species. ...

• T.s. sirtalis Linnaeus 1758: Common Garter Snake
• T.s. parietalis Say 1823: Red-sided Garter Snake. Has also been introduced to northern Halland in Sweden, where it thrives.
• T.s. infernalis Blainville 1835: California Red-sided Garter Snake
• T.s. concinnus Hallowell 1852:Red-spotted Garter Snake
• T.s. dorsalis Baird and Girard 1853: New Mexico Garter Snake
• T.s. pickeringii Baird and Girard 1853: Puget Sound Garter Snake
• T.s. tetrataenia Cope 1875: San Francisco Garter Snake; endangered
• T.s. semifasciatus Cope 1892: Chicago Garter Snake
• T.s. pallidulus Allen 1899: Maritime Garter Snake
• T.s. annectens Brown 1950: Texas Garter Snake
• T.s. fitchi Fox 1951: Valley Garter Snake
• T.s. similis Rossman 1965: Blue-striped Garter Snake
• T.s. butleri Cope 1889: Butler's Garter Snake

Thomas Say. ... 1823 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... is a historical province (landskap) on the western coast of Sweden. ... Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville (September 12, 1777 - May 1, 1850) was a French zoologist and anatomist. ... | Come and take it, slogan of the Texas Revolution 1835 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Edward Hallowell (1808 - 1860) was an American physician and herpetologist. ... 1852 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Spencer Fullerton Baird Spencer Fullerton Baird (February 3, 1823 – August 19, 1887) was an American ornithologist and ichthyologist. ... Charles Frédéric Girard (March 8, 1822 - January 29, 1895) was a French biologist specializing on ichthyology and herpetology. ... 1853 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Spencer Fullerton Baird Spencer Fullerton Baird (February 3, 1823 – August 19, 1887) was an American ornithologist and ichthyologist. ... Charles Frédéric Girard (March 8, 1822 - January 29, 1895) was a French biologist specializing on ichthyology and herpetology. ... 1853 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Edward Drinker Cope Edward Drinker Cope (July 28, 1840–April 12, 1897) was an American paleontologist and comparative anatomist, as well as a noted herpetologist and ichthyologist. ... 1875 (MDCCCLXXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Trinomial name Thamnophis sirtalis tetrataenia Cope, 1875 The San Francisco garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis tetrataenia) is a slender multi-colored colubrid snake. ... The Siberian Tiger, a subspecies of tiger. ... Edward Drinker Cope Edward Drinker Cope (July 28, 1840–April 12, 1897) was an American paleontologist and comparative anatomist, as well as a noted herpetologist and ichthyologist. ... 1892 (MDCCCXCII) was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Glover Morrill Allen (8 February 1879 – 14 February 1942) was a U.S. zoologist. ... Year 1899 (MDCCCXCIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday [1] of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Year 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Trinomial name Thamnophis sirtalis annectens Brown, 1950 The Texas Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis annectens) is a subspecies of the common garter snake () from the United States. ... Wade Fox (1920 - 1964) was a U.S. zoologist and herpetologist from the University of California at Berkeley. ... 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ... Douglas A. Rossman is a U.S. herpetologist specialized on Garter snakes. ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... Edward Drinker Cope Edward Drinker Cope (July 28, 1840–April 12, 1897) was an American paleontologist and comparative anatomist, as well as a noted herpetologist and ichthyologist. ... Year 1889 (MDCCCLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...

References

• Thamnophis sirtalis (TSN 174136). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Accessed on 6 February 2006.hello