Do Garter Snakes in Oregon Lay Eggs or Have Live Babies

The article is almost North American garter snakes. For the unrelated venomous snakes of Africa also chosen garter snakes, come across Elapsoidea.

Mutual name for N American snakes of the genus Thamnophis

Garter snake
The eastern garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family unit:	Colubridae
Subfamily:	Natricinae
Genus:	Thamnophis Fitzinger, 1843
Species
35, encounter text
Thamnophis distribution
Synonyms[i]
Atomarchus, Chilopoma, Eutaenia, Eutainia, Phamnovis, Prymnomiodon, Stypocemus, Tropidonote, Tropidonotus

Garter snake is a common proper name for generally harmless, small to medium-sized snakes belonging to the genus Thamnophis in the family Colubridae. Native to North and Central America, species in the genus Thamnophis can be found from the subarctic plains of Canada to Republic of costa rica.

Garter snakes vary in total length (including tail) from 46 to 137 cm (18 to 54 in) and weigh approximately 140 g (5 oz).^[ii] With no real consensus on the nomenclature of species of Thamnophis, disagreement between taxonomists and sources such equally field guides over whether two types of snakes are split species or subspecies of the same species is common. Garter snakes are closely related to the genus Nerodia (water snakes), with some species having been moved back and forth between genera.

Taxonomy [edit]

The first garter snake to exist scientifically described was the eastern garter snake (now Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis), by zoologist and taxonomist Carl Linnaeus in 1758. The genus Thamnophis was described by Leopold Fitzinger in 1843 equally the genus for the garter snakes and ribbon snakes.^[3] Many snakes previously identified as their own genera or species have been reclassified as species or subspecies in Thamnophis. There are currently 35 species in the genus, with several subspecies in some of them.^[4]

Habitat [edit]

Garter snakes are nowadays throughout most of Due north America. Their wide distribution is due to their varied diets and adaptability to different habitats, with varying proximity to water. Yet in the western part of North America these snakes are more than aquatic than in the eastern portion. Garter snakes alive in a variety of habitats, including forests, woodlands, fields, grasslands and lawns, but never far from water, often an adjacent wetland, stream or pond. This reflects the fact that amphibians are a large part of their diet. Garter snakes are oft plant almost small ponds with alpine weeds.

Behavior [edit]

The posterior tooth of a garter snake

Garter snakes take complex systems of pheromonal communication. They can find other snakes past following their pheromone-scented trails. Male and female skin pheromones are and so dissimilar as to be immediately distinguishable. Even so, male garter snakes sometimes produce both male and female pheromones. During the mating season, this ability fools other males into attempting to mate with them. This causes the transfer of heat to them in kleptothermy, which is an advantage immediately afterwards hibernation, assuasive them to get more agile.^[5] Male snakes giving off both male and female pheromones have been shown to garner more copulations than normal males in the mating balls that class at the den when females enter the mating melee. A serpent hatch can include as many as 57 young.^[6]

Garter snakes use the vomeronasal organ to communicate via pheromones through the tongue flicking beliefs which gathers chemic cues in the surroundings. Upon entering the lumen of the organ, the chemic molecules will come into contact with the sensory cells which are fastened to the neurosensory epithelium of the vomeronasal organ.^{[ citation needed ]}

If disturbed a garter snake may coil and strike but typically information technology volition hide its head and flail its tail. These snakes volition also discharge a malodorous, musky-scented secretion from a gland near the cloaca. They often use these techniques to escape when ensnared by a predator. They will likewise slither into the h2o to escape a predator on land. Hawks, crows, egrets, herons, cranes, raccoons, otters and other snake species (such as coral snakes and kingsnakes) will eat garter snakes, with even shrews and frogs eating the juveniles.

Close up of the scales on the back of the common garter snake.

Being heterothermic, like all reptiles, garter snakes bask in the sun to regulate their body temperature. During brumation (the reptile equivalent of hibernation) garter snakes typically occupy big communal sites called hibernacula. These snakes will migrate big distances to brumate.

Diet [edit]

Garter snakes, similar all snakes, are carnivorous. Their diet consists of almost any animate being they are capable of overpowering: slugs, earthworms (nightcrawlers, as cerise wigglers are toxic to garter snakes), leeches, lizards, amphibians (including frog eggs), minnows, and rodents. When living near h2o they will eat other aquatic animals. The ribbon snake (Thamnophis sauritus) in detail favors frogs (including tadpoles), readily eating them despite their stiff chemical defenses. Food is swallowed whole. Garter snakes oft adjust to eating whatsoever they tin observe and whenever they can discover it because nutrient can be either deficient or abundant. Although they feed mostly on live animals they will sometimes eat eggs.^[7]

Venom [edit]

Garter snakes were long thought to be not-venomous simply discoveries in the early 2000s revealed that they in fact produce a neurotoxic venom.^[8] Despite this, garter snakes cannot seriously injure or impale humans with the small amounts of comparatively mild venom they produce and they also lack an effective means of delivering it. In a few cases some swelling and bruising have been reported.^[9] They do have enlarged teeth in the back of their mouth^[ten] but their gums are significantly larger and the secretions of their Duvernoy's gland are simply mildly toxic.^{[ix] [11]}

Evidence suggests that garter snake and newt populations share an evolutionary link in their levels of tetrodotoxin resistance, implying co-development betwixt predator and prey.^[12] Garter snakes feeding on toxic newts can also retain those toxins in their liver for weeks, making those snakes poisonous as well as venomous.^[13]

Conservation status [edit]

Despite the decline in their population from collection as pets (especially in the more northerly regions, in which large groups are nerveless at hibernation),^[14] pollution of aquatic areas, and the introduction of American bullfrogs as potential predators, garter snakes are yet some of the most commonly establish reptiles in much of their ranges. The San Francisco garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis tetrataenia), all the same, has been on the endangered list since 1969. Predation by crayfish has also been responsible for the decline of the narrow-headed garter snake (Thamnophis rufipunctatus).^[15] Many breeders accept bred all species of garter snakes, making information technology a pop breed.

Species and subspecies [edit]

Arranged alphabetically by scientific name:

Epitome	Name	Subspecies	Distribution
	Aquatic garter serpent, Thamnophis atratus (Kennicott, 1860)	Santa Cruz garter ophidian, T. a. atratus (Kennicott, 1860) Oregon garter serpent, T. a. hydrophilus Fitch, 1936 Diablo Range garter ophidian, T. a. zaxanthus Boundy, 1999	declension of Oregon and California.
	Bogert'south garter snake,Thamnophis bogerti Rossman & Burbrink, 2005		Oaxaca, Mexico
	Shorthead garter serpent,Thamnophis brachystoma (Cope, 1892)		northwestern Pennsylvania and southwestern New York.
	Butler's garter snake,Thamnophis butleri (Cope, 1889)		northwestern Ohio, northeastern Indiana, the eastern portion of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, and the next extreme southern tip of Ontario, Canada.
	Goldenhead garter snake, Thamnophis chrysocephalus (Cope, 1885)		Mexico.
	Conant's garter snake, Thamnophis conanti Rossman & Burbrink, 2005		Puebla and Veracruz, Mexico.
	Sierra garter snake, Thamnophis couchii (Kennicott, 1859)		California and Oregon in the United states of america
	Blackneck garter snake, Thamnophis cyrtopsis (Kennicott, 1860)	Western blackneck garter snake, T. c. cyrtopsis (Kennicott, 1860) Eastern blackneck garter snake, T. c. ocellatus (Cope, 1880) Tropical blackneck garter snake, T. c. collaris (Jan, 1863)	southwestern United states of america, Mexico and Republic of guatemala
	Western terrestrial garter snake, Thamnophis elegans (Baird & Girard, 1853)	Arizona garter snake, T. e. arizonae W. Tanner & Lowe, 1989 Mountain garter snake, T. e. elegans (Baird & Girard, 1853) San Pedro Mártir garter snake, T. e. hueyi Van Denburgh & Slevin, 1923 Coastal garter snake, T. eastward. terrestris Pull a fast one on, 1951 Wandering garter snake, T. e. vagrans (Baird & Girard, 1853) Upper Basin garter ophidian, T. due east. vascotanneri Westward. Tanner & Lowe, 1989	central British Columbia, central Alberta, and southwestern Manitoba in Canada, Central United States
	Mexican garter snake, Thamnophis eques (Reuss, 1834)	Mexican garter snake, T. east. eques (Reuss, 1834) Laguna Totolcingo garter snake, T. e. carmenensis Conant, 2003 T. due east. cuitzeoensis Conant, 2003 T. east. diluvialis Conant, 2003 T. e. insperatus Conant, 2003 Northern Mexican garter snake, T. due east. megalops (Kennicott, 1860) T. due east. obscurus Conant, 2003 T. e. patzcuaroensis Conant, 2003 T. e. scotti Conant, 2003 T. e. virgatenuis Conant, 1963	Mexico and in the The states (Arizona and New Mexico).
	Mexican wandering garter snake, Thamnophis errans H. M. Smith, 1942		Chihuahua, Durango, Jalisco, Nayarit, and Zacatecas States of Mexico.
	Montane garter snake,Thamnophis exsul Rossman, 1969		Mexico.
	Highland garter ophidian,Thamnophis fulvus (Bocourt, 1893)		Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.
	Giant garter snake,Thamnophis gigas Fitch, 1940		central California.
	Godman's garter snake,[16] Thamnophis godmani (Günther, 1894)		southern Mexico
	Two-striped garter ophidian, Thamnophis hammondii (Kennicott, 1860)		key California to Baja California, Mexico
	Liner's garter serpent, Thamnophis lineri [17] Rossman & Burbrink, 2005		United mexican states.
	Checkered garter ophidian,Thamnophis marcianus (Baird & Girard, 1853)	T. yard. marcianus (Baird & Girard, 1853) T. m. praeocularis (Bocourt, 1892) T. m. bovalli (Dunn, 1940)	southwestern Usa, Mexico, and Primal America.
	Blackbelly garter snake, Thamnophis melanogaster	Greyness blackbelly garter snake, T. grand. canescens H. M. Smith, 1942 Chihuahuan blackbelly garter snake, T. one thousand. chihuahuanensis W. Tanner, 1959 Lined blackbelly garter snake, T. thousand. linearis H. Yard. Smith, Nixon & P. West. Smith, 1950 Mexican blackbelly garter ophidian, T. m. melanogaster (W. Peters, 1864)	United mexican states.
	Tamaulipan montane garter snake, Thamnophis mendax Walker, 1955		Mexico.
	Southern Durango spotted garter snake, Thamnophis nigronuchalis Thompson, 1957		Durango, Mexico.
	Northwestern garter snake, Thamnophis ordinoides (Baird & Girard, 1852)		California, Oregon, and Washington; in Canada, it is found in British Columbia
	Tepalcatepec Valley garter ophidian, Thamnophis postremus Smith, 1942		Mexico.
	Western ribbon snake, Thamnophis proximus (Say, 1823)	Chiapas Highlands ribbon snake, T. p. alpinus Rossman, 1963 Arid land ribbon snake, T. p. diabolicus Rossman, 1963 Gulf Coast ribbon snake, T. p. orarius Rossman, 1963 Orangestripe ribbon serpent or western ribbon ophidian T. p. proximus (Say, 1823) Redstripe ribbon snake, T. p. rubrilineatus Rossman, 1963 Mexican ribbon snake, T. p. rutiloris (Cope, 1885)	western United States, Mexico, and Primal America
	Yellow-throated garter snake, Thamnophis pulchrilatus (Cope, 1885)		United mexican states.
	Plains garter snake, Thamnophis radix (Baird & Girard, 1853)		central The states as far due north equally Canada and as far south as Texas.
	Rossman's garter snake, Thamnophis rossmani Conant, 2000		Mexico.
	Narrow-headed garter ophidian, Thamnophis rufipunctatus (Cope, 1875)		Arizona and New Mexico, and in the Mexican states of Sonora, Chihuahua and Durango
	Ribbon snake, Thamnophis sauritus (Linnaeus, 1766)	Bluestripe ribbon snake, T. southward. nitae Rossman, 1963 Southern ribbon snake, T. s. sackenii (Kennicott, 1859) Eastern ribbon snake, T. s. sauritus (Linnaeus, 1766) Northern ribbon snake, T. s. septentrionalis Rossman, 1963	Eastern North America
	Longtail tall garter snake, Thamnophis scalaris (Cope, 1861)		United mexican states.
	Short-tail alpine garter ophidian, Thamnophis scaliger (January, 1863)		Mexico.
	Common garter snake, Thamnophis sirtalis	Texas garter snake, T. s. annectens Brown, 1950 Ruby-spotted garter snake, T. south. concinnus (Hallowell, 1852) New Mexico garter ophidian, T. s. dorsalis (Baird & Girard, 1853) valley garter snake, T. s. fitchi Play tricks, 1951 California cherry-sided garter snake, T. southward. infernalis (Blainville, 1835) T. south. lowei W. Tanner, 1988 Maritime garter serpent, T. s. pallidulus Allen, 1899 Scarlet-sided garter snake, T. southward. parietalis (Say, 1823) Puget Audio garter snake, T. south. pickeringii (Baird & Girard, 1853) Blue-striped garter snake, T. s. similis Rossman, 1965 Eastern garter snake, T. s. sirtalis (Linnaeus, 1758) Chicago garter snake, T. s. semifasciatus (Cope, 1892) San Francisco garter ophidian, T. s. tetrataenia (Cope, 1875)	North America
	Sumichrast's garter snake, Thamnophis sumichrasti (Cope, 1866)		Mexico.
	Madrean narrow-headed garter serpent, Thamnophis unilabialis W. Tanner, 1985		Mexico.
	West Coast garter ophidian, Thamnophis validus	Mexican Pacific Lowlands garter snake, T. v. celaeno (Cope, 1860) T. v. isabellae (Conant, 1953) T. v. thamnophisoides (Conant, 1961) T. v. validus (Kennicott, 1860)	Mexico.

In the higher up list, a binomial authority or a trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species or subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Thamnophis.

See also [edit]

• Narcisse Snake Dens
• Listing of snakes, overview of all ophidian families and genera

References [edit]

1. ^ Wright AH, Wright AA (1957). Handbook of Snakes of the United States and Canada. Ithaca and London: Comstock Publishing Associates, a division of Cornell University Press. 1,105 pp. (in 2 volumes). (Thamnophis, p. 755).
2. ^ "BioKIDS - Kids' Research of Diverse Species, Thamnophis sirtalis, Common Garter Snake: INFORMATION". www.biokids.umich.edu . Retrieved 2019-07-18 .
3. ^ "ITIS Standard Report Page: Thamnophis". www.itis.gov . Retrieved 2019-07-06 .
4. ^ "The IUCN Reddish List of Threatened Species". IUCN Blood-red List of Threatened Species . Retrieved 2019-07-06 .
5. ^ Shine, R; Phillips, B; Waye, H; LeMaster, Thousand; Mason, RT (2001). "Benefits of female mimicry to snakes". Nature. 414 (6861): 267. Bibcode:2001Natur.414..267S. doi:10.1038/35104687. PMID 11713516. S2CID 205023381.
6. ^ "Garter Serpent facts". {{cite spider web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
7. ^ "Garter Snake Intendance Canvas". Thamnophis.com.
8. ^ Zimmer, Carl (April five, 2005). "Open up Broad: Decoding the Secrets of Venom". The New York Times.
9. ^ ^{a b} Smith, Michael (September 2001). "Duverney's Glands and "Warm" Herping". Cantankerous Timbers Herpetologist. Dallas-Fort Worth Herpetological Lodge – via Melissa Kaplan'south Herp Care Collection.
10. ^ Wright, Debra 50.; Kardong, Kenneth V.; Bentley, David L. (1979). "The Functional Anatomy of the Teeth of the Western Terrestrial Garter Snake, Thamnophis elegans". Herpetologica. 35 (3): 223–228. JSTOR 3891690.
11. ^ de Queiroz, Alan (September 27, 2010). "Garter Snakes". Online Nevada Encyclopedia. Nevada Humanities. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
12. ^ Williams, Becky L.; Brodie, Edmund D. Jr.; Brodie, Edmund D. 3 (2003). "Coevolution of Deadly Toxins and Predator Resistance: Self-Cess of Resistance past Garter Snakes Leads to Behavioral Rejection of Toxic Newt Casualty". Herpetologica. 59 (2): 155–163. doi:ten.1655/0018-0831(2003)059[0155:codtap]2.0.co;two.
13. ^ Williams, Becky L.; Brodie, Edmund D. Jr.; Brodie, Edmund D. III (2004). "A resistant predator and its toxic prey: persistence of newt toxin leads to poisonous (non venomous) snakes". Journal of Chemic Environmental. 30 (10): 1901–1919. doi:ten.1023/B:JOEC.0000045585.77875.09. PMID 15609827. S2CID 14274035.
14. ^ Zimmerman R (2013). "Thamnophis sirtalis ". Kids' Inquiry of Diverse Species. Brute Variety Web. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
15. ^ Hammerson GA (2007). "Thamnophis rufipunctatus ". IUCN Cherry List of Threatened Species. 2007: e.T63990A12727179. doi:x.2305/IUCN.UK.2007.RLTS.T63990A12727179.en.
16. ^ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Lexicon of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Printing. thirteen + 296 pp. ISBN 978-ane-4214-0135-v. (Thamnophis godmani, p. 102).
17. ^ Thamnophis lineri. The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.

Further reading [edit]

• Conant R (1975). A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central N America, Second Edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. xviii + 429 pp. + Plates 1-48. ISBN 0-395-19979-4 (hardcover), ISBN 0-395-19977-8 (paperback). (Genus Thamnophis, p. 157).
• Fitzinger 50 (1843). Systema Reptilium, Fasciculus Primus, Amblyglossae. Vienna: Braumüller & Seidel. 106 pp. + indices. (Thamnophis, new genus, p. 26). (in Latin).
• Goin, Coleman J., Goin, Olive B.; Zug, George R. (1978). Introduction to Herpetology, Third Edition. San Francisco: W.H. Freeman and Company. xi + 378 pp. ISBN 0-7167-0020-four. (Thamnophis, pp. 132, 156, 326).
• Powell R, Conant R, Collins JT (2016). Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Quaternary Edition. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 14 + 494 pp., 47 plates, 207 figures. ISBN 978-0-544-12997-nine. (Genus Thamnophis, p. 426).
• Ruthven AG (1908). "Variation and Genetic Relationships of the Garter-snakes". Bulletin of the United States National Museum 61: ane–201, 82 figures.
• Schmidt, Karl P.; Davis, D. Dwight (1941). Field Volume of Snakes of the United states and Canada. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons. 365 pp., 34 plates, 103 figures. (Genus Thamnophis, p. 236).
• Stebbins RC (2003). A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians, Third Edition. The Peterson Field Guide Serial ®. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Visitor. 13 + 533 pp., 56 plates. ISBN 978-0-395-98272-three. (Genus Thamnophis, pp. 373–374).
• Vandenburgh J, Slevin JR (1918). "The Garter-snakes of Western North America". Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, Fourth Series 8: 181–270, xi plates.

External links [edit]

• González-Fernández, Andrea; Manjarrez, Javier; García-Vázquez, Uri; D'Addario, Maristella; Sunny, Armando (2018). "Present and future ecological niche modeling of garter snake species from the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt". PeerJ. 6: e4618. doi:10.7717/peerj.4618. PMC5903425. PMID 29666767.

• Anapsid.org: Garter snakes
• Several pictures of a Mexican ribbon ophidian (Thamnophis proximus rutiloris)
• Plains garter snake - Thamnophis radix. Species business relationship from the Iowa Reptile and Amphibian Field Guide
• Eastern garter snake - Thamnophis sirtalis. Species account from the Iowa Reptile and Amphibian Field Guide
• Descriptions and biological science of garter snakes
• Genus Thamnophis at The Reptile Database

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Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garter_snake

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