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Home »» Snakes »» Colubridae (Colubrids) »» Western Terrestrial Garter Snakes »» Mountain Garter Snake (Thamnophis elegans elegans)


Mountain Garter Snake (Thamnophis elegans elegans)STATUS





Description: measures 18 to 43 inches in length. A medium-sized slender snake with a head barely wider than the neck and keeled dorsal scales. Some scale averages: Average of 8 upper labial scales, occasionally 7, scales 6 and 7 are enlarged, higher than wide. Average of 10 lower labial scales. The front and rear pair of chin shields are equal in length. The internasals are wider than long and not pointed in front. Average scale count at mid-body is 21, rarely 19. Ground color is a dark olive-brown or black with no red markings. There are 3 well defined light stripes on the back and sides: The dorsal stripe is yellow, orange, or white. The lateral stripes may be paler. Underside is pale with few markings, and is sometimes darker in the center.


Habitat: Inhabits streamsides, springs, mountain lakes, in grassland, meadows, brush, woodland, and coniferous forest.


Range: n California, the subspecies Thamnophis elegans elegans - Mountain Gartersnake, is found throughout the Sierra Nevada Mountains, through most of the northern part of the state except for the outer Coast Ranges south at least as far as Mt. St. Helena. There is an isolated population in the San Bernardino Mountains. This subspecies ranges out of the state north into Oregon and to the edge of northern Nevada.


Found in these States: CA | NV


Diet: Diet includes: invertebrates such as slugs, leeches, snails, and earthworms; fish; amphibians - tadpoles, frogs, (and probably salamanders); snakes and lizards; birds; and small mammals such as mice and voles


Reproduction: Mating occurs primarily in spring. Females are ovoviviparous - they carry the eggs internally until the young are born live from July to Sepember.


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


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 elegans - Western Terrestrial Garter Snakes
                       »» Subspecies: Thamnophis elegans elegans - Mountain Garter Snake

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Western Terrestrial 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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