Eastern garter snake
The eastern garter snake is a medium-sized snake indigenous to North America.
Taxonomy
Etymology
The scientific name Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis is a combination of Ancient Greek and New Latin that means "bush snake that looks like a garter strap". The generic name Thamnophis is derived from the Greek "thamnos" and "ophis" and the specific name sirtalis is derived from the New Latin "siratalis", a reference to the snake's color pattern resembling a striped garter strap.Description
Eastern garter snakes average between long. The longest recorded length was long. Females are typically larger than males. They are either a greenish, brown, or black color and have a distinct yellow or white stripe.Venom
Although the eastern garter snake is often considered non-venomous, garter snakes do have a Duvernoy's gland, and the secretion from the gland may be chewed into prey during bites. The secretion is noted to cause hemorrhaging in mice and has produced non-allergic symptoms in at least one bite on a human.Distribution and habitat
The eastern garter snake has the widest geographic range of any garter snake, extending from the Atlantic to the Pacific coasts and reaching farther north than any other snake species in the Western Hemisphere. Their distribution ranges all across America but tends not to be present in western deserts. In New England, the snake is described as the "most widespread and ubiquitous" serpent, from wilderness to urban environments and from sea level to high elevations.The eastern garter snake will live in a variety of environments, with a preference for grassy or shrubby fields, including abandoned farmland, outbuildings and trash dumps. In particular the snake likes to inhabit stone walls that separate the forest from fields. It is also found along moist habitats such as lakes, rivers, streams, swamps, bogs, ponds, drainage ditches, and quarries. Snakes are present in urban environments in habitats that include "city parks, cemeteries and suburban yards and gardens". Eastern garter snakes like to conceal themselves under logs, stones and other debris that allow them to bask in the sunlight and quickly seek refuge from predators. Eastern garter snakes have also been found to inhabit crayfish burrows during the hibernating season. Krulikowski notes that "old poultry farms with discarded sheet-metal incubation trays provide warm, moist hiding places."
Ecology and behavior
Hunting and diet
The majority of the eastern garter snake's diet consists of earthworms, though they have a secondary preference for amphibian prey as well. As they mature, their preference in prey will undergo an ontogenetic shift. Younger eastern garter snakes prey almost exclusively upon earthworms and smaller amphibians, such as spring peepers and northern cricket frogs, and generally avoid taking warm-blooded prey. Mature snakes rely more on amphibian prey, especially larger amphibians like green frogs and northern leopard frogs, though earthworms still make up the bulk of their diet.However, eastern garter snakes are opportunistic predators, and will readily consume almost any creature they can swallow. Other prey records for this subspecies include caterpillars, leeches, mudminnows, the Jefferson salamander, and the eastern meadow vole. Large adults will even target small birds if the opportunity presents itself, such as song sparrows, goldfinches, and chipping sparrows.