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Home »» Snakes »» Colubridae (Colubrids) »» Aquatic Garter Snake (Thamnophis atratus)


Aquatic Garter Snake (Thamnophis atratus)STATUS





Description: The aquatic garter snake grows up to 18 to 40 inches 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.


Habitat: It can most commonly be found on the edges of bushlands, woodlands, grasslands, and forests near ponds, marshes, streams and lakes.


Range: It is found exclusively along the coast of Oregon and California.


Found in these States: CA | OR


Diet: Forages in water; eats fishes (including sculpins and trout up to 2.4 cm in length), tadpoles (though not especially effective as a predator of bullfrog larvae, frogs (e.g., RanaNA BoyliiLII), salamanders, and salamander (e.g., Dicamptodon) larvae


Reproduction: The aquatic garter snake bears live young. Mates in spring; young are born August to October. Broods consist of three to 12 young.


Status: Listed as Least Concern in view of its wide distribution, presumed large population, and because it is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category.


Subspecies: Three, all found in the United States:
   Santa Cruz Aquatic Garter Snake - (Thamnophis atratus atratus)
   Oregon Aquatic Garter Snake - (Thamnophis atratus hydrophilus)
   Diablo Range Garter Snake - (Thamnophis atratus zaxanthus)


Taxonomy:

»» Kingdom: Animalia - Animals
   »» Phylum: Chordata - Chordates
     »» Subphylum: Vertebrata - Vertebrates
       »» Class: Reptilia - Reptiles
         »» Order: Squamata - Scaled Reptiles
           »» Suborder: Serpentes
             »» Superfamily: Colubroidea
               »» Family: Colubridae - Colubrids
                   »» Genus: Thamnophis
                     »» Species: Thamnophis atratus - Aquatic Garter Snake

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Aquatic Garter Snake", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0. Content may have been omitted from the original, but no content has been changed or extended.

 

 

 

 


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U.S. Guide to Venomous Snakes and Their Mimics     Venomous Snakebite in the Western United States     Venomous Snakes Of The Southeast     The 10 Most Dangerous Snakes in the United States and Canada



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Disclaimer: ITIS taxonomy is based on the latest scientific consensus available, and is provided as a general reference source for interested parties. However, it is not a legal authority for statutory or regulatory purposes. While every effort has been made to provide the most reliable and up-to-date information available, ultimate legal requirements with respect to species are contained in provisions of treaties to which the United States is a party, wildlife statutes, regulations, and any applicable notices that have been published in the Federal Register. For further information on U.S. legal requirements with respect to protected taxa, please contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

 
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