Plains Garter Snake
Encyclopedia
The Plains Garter Snake (Thamnophis radix) is a species of Garter snake
native to most of the Central United States stretching as far north as Canada and as far south as Texas
. It has a distinctive orange or yellow stripe that goes from its head to tail, the rest of its body is mainly a gray-green color. The snake is commonly found living near water sources such as streams and ponds, but can also be found in urban areas and vacant lots. Although the IUCN lists the species as "Least Concern", some states have given it their own special status.
stripes located on the third and fourth scale rows and are normally a greenish yellow color. Its belly is gray-green with small dark spots along the edges. Most have distinctive light yellow spots on the top of the head. The snake is described as medium sized and is on average around 3 foot (0.9144 m).
to bask in the sun. It is most active between April and late October dependent on location. Mating normally takes place in April or May and birth takes place between August and October. Courtship usually takes place near the communal hibernation site, and polygynous mating system
s have been observed. The snake's typical diet consists of earthworm
s, slug
s and small amphibians, including the larvae
of salamander
s. It has also been observed eating small mammals and birds such as bank swallows and eastern meadowlark
s.
s and prairie
s adjacent to water sources such as marshes, stream
s and ponds. In built-up areas of the Chicago area it has been observed in abandoned buildings, trash heaps and vacant lots. Populations in urban and suburban areas have been greatly reduced due to building activities and pesticide
use. Its habitat range overlaps with that of the common garter snake
(Thamnophis sirtalis) in many areas, and it's thought the species may intermingle.
to as far south as Northern Texas and New Mexico
. In the United States it is also found in eastern Wyoming
, eastern Colorado
, Minnesota
, southern Wisconsin
, Illinois
, northwestern Indiana
, Oklahoma, and the northern half of Missouri. In Canada the species is also found Manitoba
. A small population is also in Ohio. It can be found at elevations from 400 to 7,500 feet but prefer to stay under 6,000 feet.
1860) was considered the Western subspecies. However, the distinction between the two is weak, partly based on the number of scales and partly on slight coloration differences, with the T. r. haydeni said to have cleaner markings and more ventral and neck scales. As the two subspecies share the same habitat in many regions of the United States, further complicated by their strikingly similar appearance, many now do not recognize the two subspecies.
(IUCN 3.1) by the IUCN Red List
due to the snakes ability modify its habitat, wide distribution and presumed large population. However the snake is considered to be "Endangered" in Ohio and is on a state list of endangered species. In Wisconsin it is a species of special concern.
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...
native to most of the Central United States stretching as far north as Canada and as far south as Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. It has a distinctive orange or yellow stripe that goes from its head to tail, the rest of its body is mainly a gray-green color. The snake is commonly found living near water sources such as streams and ponds, but can also be found in urban areas and vacant lots. Although the IUCN lists the species as "Least Concern", some states have given it their own special status.
Physical
The Plains Garter Snake has either an orange or yellow stripe down its back and distinctive black bars on its lip. The stripe normally starts at the head and continues straight down all the way to the tail tip. There are lateralLateral
Lateral may refer to:*Lateral , an anatomical direction*Lateral canal, a canal built beside another stream*Lateral consonant, an ℓ-like consonant in which air flows along the sides of the tongue...
stripes located on the third and fourth scale rows and are normally a greenish yellow color. Its belly is gray-green with small dark spots along the edges. Most have distinctive light yellow spots on the top of the head. The snake is described as medium sized and is on average around 3 foot (0.9144 m).
Behavior
Described as "one of the most cold-tolerant snakes", on warmer winter days it often comes out of hibernationHibernation
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...
to bask in the sun. It is most active between April and late October dependent on location. Mating normally takes place in April or May and birth takes place between August and October. Courtship usually takes place near the communal hibernation site, and polygynous mating system
Mating system
A mating system is a way in which a group is structured in relation to sexual behaviour. The precise meaning depends upon the context. With respect to higher animals, it specifies which males mate with which females, under which circumstances; recognised animal mating systems include monogamy,...
s have been observed. The snake's typical diet consists of 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, slug
Slug
Slug is a common name that is normally applied to any gastropod mollusc that lacks a shell, has a very reduced shell, or has a small internal shell...
s and small amphibians, including the larvae
Larvae
In Roman mythology, lemures were shades or spirits of the restless or malignant dead, and are probably cognate with an extended sense of larvae as disturbing or frightening...
of 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. It has also been observed eating small mammals and birds such as bank swallows and eastern meadowlark
Eastern Meadowlark
The Eastern Meadowlark, Sturnella magna, is a medium-sized icterid bird, very similar in appearance to the Western Meadowlark. It occurs from eastern North America to South America, where it is also most widespread in the east.-Description:...
s.
Habitat
The plains garter snake can be found is commonly found in meadowMeadow
A meadow is a field vegetated primarily by grass and other non-woody plants . The term is from Old English mædwe. In agriculture a meadow is grassland which is not grazed by domestic livestock but rather allowed to grow unchecked in order to make hay...
s and prairie
Prairie
Prairies are considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the dominant vegetation type...
s adjacent to water sources such as marshes, stream
Stream
A stream is a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek, "crick", gill , kill, lick, rill, river, syke, bayou, rivulet, streamage, wash, run or...
s and ponds. In built-up areas of the Chicago area it has been observed in abandoned buildings, trash heaps and vacant lots. Populations in urban and suburban areas have been greatly reduced due to building activities and pesticide
Pesticide
Pesticides are substances or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling or mitigating any pest.A pesticide may be a chemical unicycle, biological agent , antimicrobial, disinfectant or device used against any pest...
use. Its habitat range overlaps with that of the common garter snake
Common Garter Snake
The Common Garter Snake is a snake indigenous to North America. Most garter snakes have a pattern of yellow stripes on a brown or green background and their average length is about , maximum about .-Subspecies:...
(Thamnophis sirtalis) in many areas, and it's thought the species may intermingle.
Range
The snake ranges across a broad area of North America from as far north as central AlbertaAlberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
to as far south as Northern Texas and New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
. In the United States it is also found in eastern Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
, eastern Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, southern Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, northwestern Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, Oklahoma, and the northern half of Missouri. In Canada the species is also found Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
. A small population is also in Ohio. It can be found at elevations from 400 to 7,500 feet but prefer to stay under 6,000 feet.
Subspecies
Formerly two subspecies of the Plains Garter Snake were widely recognized, however, most authorities have since dropped subspecies recognition. The first, Thamnophis radix radix, was commonly referred to as the Eastern plains garter snake, while Thamnophis radix haydeni (KennicottRobert Kennicott
Robert Kennicott was an American naturalist.-Biography:Kennicott was born in New Orleans and grew up in "West Northfield" , Illinois, a town in the prairie north of the then nascent city of Chicago....
1860) was considered the Western subspecies. However, the distinction between the two is weak, partly based on the number of scales and partly on slight coloration differences, with the T. r. haydeni said to have cleaner markings and more ventral and neck scales. As the two subspecies share the same habitat in many regions of the United States, further complicated by their strikingly similar appearance, many now do not recognize the two subspecies.
Conservation
The Plains Garter Snake is listed as Least ConcernLeast Concern
Least Concern is an IUCN category assigned to extant taxon or lower taxa which have been evaluated but do not qualify for any other category. As such they do not qualify as threatened, Near Threatened, or Conservation Dependent...
(IUCN 3.1) by the IUCN Red List
IUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...
due to the snakes ability modify its habitat, wide distribution and presumed large population. However the snake is considered to be "Endangered" in Ohio and is on a state list of endangered species. In Wisconsin it is a species of special concern.