Butler's Garter Snake
Encyclopedia
The Butler’s Garter Snake, Thamnophis butleri, is a species of garter snake
.
For those hoping to avoid getting close enough to inspect the position of the lateral stripe, there are other features which may help in their identification. The head is unusually small for a garter snake, and, when excited, the effort this snake expends to escape seems to go more towards thrashing in place than to getting away.
, they may also be found in grassy vacant lots in suburban and residential areas. The species can often be found under rocks, logs, trash and boards. Butler’s Garter Snakes subsist on a diet of mainly earthworm
s, but they may also eat leech
es, salamander
s and frog
s. The species hibernates
communally, often with other garter snake species. Butler's Garter Snakes are a relatively short-lived species and they reach sexual maturity in their second spring.
Garter snake
The Garter snake is a Colubrid snake genus common across North America, ranging from Alaska and Canada to Central America. It is the single most widely distributed genus of reptile in North America. The garter snake is also the Massachusettsstate reptile.There is no real consensus on the...
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Description and identification
It is a small slender snake, averaging 38-51 cm (15-20 in.) long, with three yellow to orange stripes along the length of the body. The background color can range from olive-brown to black and it may also be possible to discern two rows of dark spots between the side and back stripes. These features do little to distinguish them from most other garter snakes species, but what is unique to this species is the placement of the lateral, or side, stripes. In Butler's Garter Snakes, the lateral stripes are centered on the third scale row up from the ventral scales, and they also overlap the adjacent second and fourth scale rows. This contrasts with the lateral stripe placement of other garter snake species.For those hoping to avoid getting close enough to inspect the position of the lateral stripe, there are other features which may help in their identification. The head is unusually small for a garter snake, and, when excited, the effort this snake expends to escape seems to go more towards thrashing in place than to getting away.
Ecology
Butler’s Garter Snakes inhabit moist, grassy, open canopy areas, such as meadows, wet prairies, marshes, savannas and grasslands. Like the Kirtland's SnakeKirtland's Snake
Kirtland's snake is an endangered North American species of nonvenomous snake of the subfamily Natricinae, of the family Colubridae. The specific name, kirtlandii, is in honor of Dr...
, they may also be found in grassy vacant lots in suburban and residential areas. The species can often be found under rocks, logs, trash and boards. Butler’s Garter Snakes subsist on a diet of mainly earthworm
Earthworm
Earthworm is the common name for the largest members of Oligochaeta in the phylum Annelida. In classical systems they were placed in the order Opisthopora, on the basis of the male pores opening posterior to the female pores, even though the internal male segments are anterior to the female...
s, but they may also eat leech
Leech
Leeches are segmented worms that belong to the phylum Annelida and comprise the subclass Hirudinea. Like other oligochaetes such as earthworms, leeches share a clitellum and are hermaphrodites. Nevertheless, they differ from other oligochaetes in significant ways...
es, salamander
Salamander
Salamander is a common name of approximately 500 species of amphibians. They are typically characterized by a superficially lizard-like appearance, with their slender bodies, short noses, and long tails. All known fossils and extinct species fall under the order Caudata, while sometimes the extant...
s and frog
Frog
Frogs are amphibians in the order Anura , formerly referred to as Salientia . Most frogs are characterized by a short body, webbed digits , protruding eyes and the absence of a tail...
s. The species hibernates
Hibernation
Hibernation is a state of inactivity and metabolic depression in animals, characterized by lower body temperature, slower breathing, and lower metabolic rate. Hibernating animals conserve food, especially during winter when food supplies are limited, tapping energy reserves, body fat, at a slow rate...
communally, often with other garter snake species. Butler's Garter Snakes are a relatively short-lived species and they reach sexual maturity in their second spring.