Garter snake

Coast Garter Snake ( Thamnophis elegans terrestris)

Garter snakes ( Thamnophis ) is the generic name of a variety of American snake species. They are characterized by a variety of color variations. Common to all are the mostly bright contrasting back and side stripes, which they owe the name " garter snakes ". Some members of the genus are popular terrarium pets.

Features

Garter snakes are medium sized snakes, mostly achieve the body lengths of about 30 to 110 centimeters, with the largest kind, the giant garter snake ( T. gigas), up to 160 centimeters. The females are in the adult condition usually much larger than the males. The body coloration is highly variable within the genus. The name derives from the running along the body lighter stripes, reminiscent of a garter belt and are usually formed as a ridge stripe and two side strips. The latter usually run on the second to fourth dorsal scale row. Back and side stripes often have different colors and can be edged dark. In addition, there are also various spot patterns. It is believed that the body drawing serves as somatolytische camouflage against obscures the body shape possible attackers.

The Pholidose is in the garter snake even within a species often variable, and depends on various factors such as temperature and hormone action during development as well as genetic factors. The head has paired Internasal, prefrontal and Parietalschilde and a single frontal scutum. The eye is surrounded by a mostly Prae, a Supra - and two to four Postokularschilden, behind it are usually three temporal shields. The Supralabialschilde include six to nine, the Sublabialschilde eight to twelve. The dorsal scales run in 17 to 23 rows and are keeled. From the American swimming snakes ( Nerodia ) to garter snakes differ by the most undivided anal shield.

Way of life

In nature, garter snakes have a very wide range of prey. They feed on earthworms, leeches, snails, amphibians and their tadpoles, small rodents and even young birds.

Mating occurs in most species in spring, some in summer. Unlike most snakes are garter snakes are viviparous ( ovoviviparous ). The pups are already fully formed at oviposition and surrounded only by a thin, transparent egg membrane. This case needs to be pierced by the pups during or immediately after birth, as they suffocate otherwise. A garter snakes litter usually includes mostly 10-20 pups. In individual cases, however, already litter sizes of more than 80 pups were observed.

Dissemination

The natural habitat of the garter snakes extends from Canada and the USA to in parts of Central America.

They belong to the subfamily of water snakes ( Natricinae ). Most species are therefore to be found in the vicinity of water.

Although the genus is one of the most common snakes in America, some species and subspecies of garter snake are threatened with extinction and are under special protection of species.

Species

The genus garter snakes is divided into 34 types. However, changing with new discoveries and by genetic studies, the assignments to species and subspecies to date continuously.

• T. atratus
• T. bogerti
• Narrow-headed garter snake ( T. brachystoma )
• Butler's Garter Snake ( T. butleri )
• Golden-headed garter snake ( T. chrysocephalus )
• T. conanti
• Sofas garter snake ( T. couchii )
• Black-necked garter snake ( T. cyrtopsis )
• Mountain Garter Snake ( T. elegans)
• Mexican garter snake ( T. eques )
• Mexican Wandering Garter Snake ( T. errans )
• Dwarf garter snake ( T. exsul )
• Guatemala garter snake ( T. fulvus)
• Giant Garter Snake ( T. gigas)
• Godmans garter snake ( T. godmani )
• Two strips of garter snake ( T. hammondii )
• T. lineri
• Checkered Garter Snake ( T. marcianus )
• Mexican Black Belly garter snake ( T. melanogaster )
• Mexican mountain garter snake ( T. mendax )
• Durango garter snake ( T. nigronuchalis )
• Northwestern Garter Snake ( T. ordinoides )
• Mexican lowlands garter snake ( T. postremus )
• Western ribbon snake ( T. proximus )
• Yellow-necked garter snake ( T. pulchrilatus )
• Plains garter snake ( T. radix)
• Ross Mans garter snake ( T. rossmani )
• Red-spotted garter snake ( T. rufipunctatus )
• Eastern bands snake ( T. sauritus )
• Stairs garter snake ( T. scalaris )
• Mexican Highland garter snake ( T. scaliger )
• Common garter snake ( T. sirtalis )
• Saddles garter snake ( T. sumichrasti )
• Mexican West Coast Garter Snake ( T. validus )

Swell

• Martin Hallmen, Jürgen Chlebowy: garter snakes. Nature and wildlife, Münster 2001, ISBN 3-931587-49-5.
• Douglas Athon Rossman, Neil B. Ford, Richard A. Seigel: The garter snakes: evolution and ecology. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, Oklahoma 1996, ISBN 9,780,806,128,207th