Shorthead garter snake

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Shorthead garter snake
Thamnophis brachystoma.jpg
Status TNC G4.svg
Apparently Secure  (NatureServe) [2]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Genus: Thamnophis
Species:
T. brachystoma
Binomial name
Thamnophis brachystoma
(Cope, 1892)
Synonyms [3]
  • Eutaenia brachystoma
    Cope, 1892
  • Thamnophis brachystoma
    A.G. Smith, 1945

Thamnophis brachystoma, commonly known as the shorthead garter snake or short-headed gartersnake, is a small species of colubrid snake. The species is endemic to the north-eastern United States.

Contents

Etymology

The specific name brachystoma comes from the Greek words brachy, meaning short, and stoma, meaning mouth. [4]

Description

T. brachystoma is a small species of snake, with a total length (including tail) of 254–559 mm (10.0–22.0 in). [4] There is no apparent distinction between the body and head. [4] Unlike Thamnophis sirtalis, there are no black spots between stripes in T. brachystoma. [4] Dorsal coloration tends to be olive or olive-green with three (1 dorsal, 2 lateral) beige to yellow stripes running the length of the body. [5] There is a distinct sexual dimorphism in this species with females being larger than males. [5]

Distribution and habitat

T. brachystoma is found in small pockets in northwestern Pennsylvania and southwestern New York. [4] Outside of its natural range, there is an introduced population in Pittsburgh in southwestern Pennsylvania, [6] as well as Youngstown, Mahoning County, Ohio.

The shorthead garter snake is commonly found in old fields and meadows, but can occasionally be found in wooded areas. It is almost always found within several hundred meters of a field. It is believed that on sunny days it will be openly basking; however, when a population study was conducted, it was almost invariably found under objects such as wood and rocks. Individuals were only encountered in the open on cloudy days. [5]

Ecology and behavior

T. brachystoma is slow to bite would be handlers, but will readily expel musk and feces from the cloaca. [5] Shorthead garter snakes can commonly be found near one another under cover objects, with no apparent correlation to seasonality or breeding cycles. [5]

Diet

In the wild, T. brachystoma feeds exclusively on earthworms. [5] However, in captivity shorthead garter snakes may consume other food items such as leeches, salamanders, frogs, and fish. [7] Prior to the introduction of non-native earthworms to North America, T. brachystoma would have primarily fed on native earthworms that were restricted to the unglaciated Allegheny Plateau. [8] [9]

Reproduction

Reproduction in T. brachystoma occurs in spring shortly after emerging from the hibernacula. Females generally emerge with ovarian follicles already well developed. Females in New York breed every other year while females in Pennsylvania breed annually. Males use stored sperm for breeding. The testes are small after emergence, reaching full size by midsummer. After this point, sperm will be stored for later use in the spring. [5] T. brachystoma is believed to be viviparous, with experiments showing a transfer of amino acids between mother and offspring. [10]

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Common garter snake</span> Species of snake

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black swamp snake</span> Species of snake

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<i>Thamnophis saurita</i> Species of snake

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.

Roger Conant was an American herpetologist, author, educator and conservationist. He was Director Emeritus of the Philadelphia Zoo and adjunct professor at the University of New Mexico. He wrote one of the first comprehensive field guides for North American reptiles in 1958 entitled: A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, in the Peterson Field Guide series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Francisco garter snake</span> Subspecies of snake

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texas garter snake</span> Subspecies of snake

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Checkered garter snake</span> Species of snake

The checkered garter snake is a species of garter snake in the subfamily Natricinae of the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to the southwestern United States, Mexico, and Central America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DeKay's brown snake</span> Species of snake

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plains garter snake</span> Species of snake

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Butler's garter snake</span> Species of snake

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Two-striped garter snake</span> Species of snake

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northwestern garter snake</span> Species of snake

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern ribbon snake</span> Subspecies of snake

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Common watersnake</span> Species of snake

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackbelly garter snake</span> Species of snake

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References

  1. Hammerson, G.A. (2007). "Thamnophis brachystoma". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2007: e.T63971A12732272. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2007.RLTS.T63971A12732272.en . Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. "NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  3. "Thamnophis brachystoma ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Bothner, Richard C. (1976). "Thamnophis brachystoma ". Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles (190): 1-2.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Hulse, Arthur C; McCoy, C.J.; Censky, Ellen J. (2001). Amphibians and Reptiles of Pennsylvania and the Northeast. Ithaca, New York: Comstock Publishing Associates, a division of Cornell University Press. 419 pp. ISBN   978-0801437687.
  6. Powell R, Conant R, Collins JT (2016). Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Fourth Edition. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. xiv + 494 pp., 47 plates, 207 figures. ISBN   978-0-544-12997-9. (Thamnophis brachystoma, pp. 426-427 + Plate 42).
  7. Gray, Brian S. (March 2008). "Observations on the diet of the Shorthead Garter Snake, Thamnophisbrachystoma". Journal of Kansas Herpetology. 25: 24–28.
  8. Gray, Brian S. (2005). "Note on the distribution of the Short-headed Gartersnake (Thamnophisbrachystoma) in Erie County, Pennsylvania". Bulletin of the Chicago Herpetological Society. 40 (6): 105–106.
  9. Gray, Brian S. (2010). "Distributions of native and exotic earthworms in the eastern United States: Implications for the ecology of vermivorous snakes". Bulletin of the Chicago Herpetology Society. 45 (5): 73–86.
  10. Van Dyke, James U.; Beaupre, Steven J. (2012). "Stable isotope tracer reveals that viviparous snakes transport amino acids to offspring during gestation". Journal of Experimental Biology215.5: 760-765.

Further reading