Aquatic garter snake | |
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Aquatic garter snake at Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Squamata |
Suborder: | Serpentes |
Family: | Colubridae |
Genus: | Thamnophis |
Species: | T. atratus |
Binomial name | |
Thamnophis atratus (Kennicott, 1860) | |
Synonyms | |
The aquatic garter snake (Thamnophis atratus) is a species of colubrid snake. Three subspecies are currently recognized.
It is found exclusively along the coast of Oregon and California.
The aquatic garter snake grows up to 18–40 inches (46–102 cm) long. Its dorsal coloration varies greatly. The different coloration patterns are: pale gray with alternating rows of darker blotches on the sides, dark brown with borders that are less distinct, or nearly all black. A long yellow stripe running down the back may be present or absent, only confined to the neck, or just very indistinct. The throat and underside of the snake are whitish to yellow.
One color morph of the aquatic garter snake has a blue-gray background color with a faint olive-colored dorsal stripe and white dots along its sides. Another color morph has a yellow dorsal stripe with black spots along its sides. The second color morph has the more classic garter snake look; however, due to its behavior and scalation, it is grouped in this species.
It can most commonly be found on the edges of bushlands, woodlands, grasslands, and forests near ponds, marshes, streams and lakes.
When feeling threatened, this snake will seek shelter in a nearby water source. Occasionally, while the snake is hunting for food in a stream, it will flick its tongue above the water to mimic an insect that a small fish would usually eat, thus luring the prey into its mouth.
The aquatic garter snake bears live young. Broods consist of three to 12 young.
Kingsnakes are colubrid New World members of the genus Lampropeltis, which includes 26 species. Among these, about 45 subspecies are recognized. They are nonvenomous and ophiophagous in diet.
The queen snake is a species of nonvenomous semiaquatic snake, a member of the subfamily Natricinae of the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to North America.
The Pacific tree frog, also known as the Pacific chorus frog, has a range spanning the Pacific Northwest, from Northern California, Oregon, and Washington to British Columbia in Canada and extreme southern Alaska. They live from sea level to more than 10,000 feet in many types of habitats, reproducing in aquatic settings. They occur in shades of greens or browns and can change colors over periods of hours and weeks.
Thamnophis saurita, also known as the eastern ribbon snake, common ribbon snake, or simply ribbon snake, is a common species of garter snake native to Eastern North America. It is a non-venomous species of snake in the subfamily Natricinae of the family Colubridae. The ribbon snake averages 16 to 35 inches in total length. It is dark brown with bright yellow stripes. The ribbon snake is not sexually dimorphic; however, females are normally thicker than their male counterparts.
The San Francisco garter snake is a slender multi-colored subspecies of the common garter snake. Designated as an endangered subspecies since the year 1967, it is endemic to San Mateo County and the extreme northern part of coastal Santa Cruz County in California.
Nerodia clarkii, commonly known as the salt marsh snake, is a species of semi-aquatic, nonvenomous, colubrid snake found in the southeastern United States. Their range extends along the brackish salt marshes of the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Coast from Texas to Florida, with an additional population in northern Cuba. Different subspecies of this snake are primarily identified via color patterns on each snake's belly, or anterior.
The plains garter snake is a species of garter snake native to most of the central United States as far north as Canada and as far south as Texas. It has a distinctive orange or yellow stripe from its head to tail, and 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. This species is mildly venomous, although the venom is not toxic to humans.
Thamnophis saurita saurita, the eastern ribbon snake or common ribbon snake, is one of four subspecies of the ribbon snake found in the southeastern United States.
The two-striped garter snake is a species of aquatic snake in the subfamily Natricinae of the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to western North America.
The Pacific gopher snake is a subspecies of large non-venomous colubrid snake native to the western coast of North America.
The western terrestrial garter snake is a western North American species of colubrid snake. At least five subspecies are recognized.
The southern ribbon snake(Thamnophis saurita sackenii), also known commonly as the peninsula ribbon snake and the Florida ribbon snake, is a subspecies of garter snake in the family Colubridae. It is one of four subspecies of the ribbon snake.
Wyoming is home to 12 amphibian species and 22 species of reptiles.
There are 14 species of amphibians and 5 species of reptiles known to occur in Mount Rainier National Park.
The blackbelly garter snake is a species of snake of the family Colubridae. It is found in Mexico.