Sierra garter snake

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Sierra garter snake
Sierra garter snake handled.jpg
Thamnophis couchii being handled by a naturalist on the banks of the Middle Tuolumne River in the Sierra Nevada.
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. couchii
Binomial name
Thamnophis couchii
(Kennicott, 1859)
Synonyms [2]
  • Eutaenia couchii
    Kennicott, 1859
  • Thamnophis ordinoides couchii
    Van Denburgh & Slevin, 1921
  • Thamnophis couchii
    Fitch, 1984

Thamnophis couchii, commonly known as Couch's garter snake, the Sierra garter snake, or the western aquatic garter snake, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to the western United States.

Contents

Etymology

The specific name couchii is in honor of Darius Nash Couch, who was a U.S. Army officer and a naturalist. [3]

Geographic range

T. couchii is native to California and Oregon in the United States. [2]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitats of T. couchii are freshwater wetlands and permanent or temporary bodies of water in grassland, shrubland, and forest. [1]

Behavior

T. couchii is highly aquatic. [1]

Reproduction

T. couchii is viviparous. [2]

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Hammerson, G.A. (2007). "Thamnophis couchii ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2007: e.T63974A12732544. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2007.RLTS.T63974A12732544.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 Species Thamnophis couchii at The Reptile Database
  3. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN   978-1-4214-0135-5 (Thamnophis couchii, p. 60).

Further reading