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Western Black-Headed Garter Snake Range Map






Western Black-Headed Garter Snake Video




Western Black-Headed Garter Snake Juvenile

Home »» Snakes »» Colubridae (Colubrids) »» Black-Necked Garter Snakes »» Western Black-Headed Garter Snake (Thamnophis cyrtopsis cyrtopsis)


Western Black-Headed Garter Snake (T. c. cyrtopsis)STATUS





Description: A brilliantly colored, 2 to 3 foot long, 3 striped, garter snake. Dorsal stripe yellow to orange, lateral stripes white to pale yellow. A large black blotch on each side of the neck. 2 rows of alternating checkerboard spots on each side between the vertebral and the lateral stripes. A large black blotch on each side of the neck and 3 rows of alternating checkerboard spots on each side, 2 between the vertebral and the lateral stripes and 1 below the lateral stripe. A single row of small black spots below each lateral stripe. Belly plain white, greenish, or light brown. Scales keeled. Juveniles like adults but more precisely patterned.


Habitat: Western Black-necked Gartersnakes are usually found within the vicinity of streams and other small bodies of water along rocky slopes or in canyon bottoms. Vegetation usually consists of oak or juniper trees, but can sometimes be found in grasslands around dry washes.


Range: USA (SW Texas, New Mexico); Mexico (Coahuila, Nuevo León, Chihuahua); Type locality: Rinconada, Coahuila.


Found in these States: AZ | CO | NM | OK | TX | UT


Diet: It is an opportunistic feeder, meaning they will eat a variety of prey. In general, this snake will feed on amphibians and their larvae, fish, and invertebrates.


Reproduction: Ovoviviparous. It gives birth to up to up to 25 young in late spring or summer.


Status: Listed as Least Concern in view of the large and probably relatively stable extent of occurrence, area of occupancy, number of subpopulations, and population size. No major threats are known


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 cyrtopsis - Black-Necked Garter Snakes
                       »» Subspecies: Thamnophis cyrtopsis cyrtopsis - Western Black-Headed Garter Snake

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Black-Necked 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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