Common Garter Snake
Common Garter Snake Here the nominate Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis
The Common Garter Snake ( Thamnophis sirtalis ) is the best-known snake species within the genus garter snakes ( Thamnophis ).
Features
The 12 subspecies of ordinary garter snake differ from one another by a variety of color variations. Common to all are the mostly bright contrasting back and side stripes, which the genus owes its name garter snake. The females are usually a meter long, sometimes up to 1.20 m. Males rarely reach a length of more than 60 cm.
Food
They have a wide range of food and eat fish, slugs, worms, amphibians, mice, rats and even small birds. A special feature of this snake is that it is one of the few, if not the only natural enemy of yellow-bellied pig Rauhäutigen ( Taricha granulosa ). In the course of evolution, they developed an immunity to the highly toxic defense fabric of this salamander, the tetrodotoxin (TTX, also known under the name Tarichatoxin ). After they ate the salamander, it goes into a dormant state and slows down your metabolism, so that it can compensate for the effect of this poison. She is probably the only organism that can survive after taking this poison. It is a co-evolution between the pig and the snake. In regions where this snake is encountered, the production of tetrodotoxin of the pig is increased and, in contrast to the resistance of the snake has increased. One speaks of " geographic mosaic theory of evolution ".
Reproduction
Unlike most snakes are garter snakes are viviparous ( ovoviviparous ). Your pups are already fully formed at oviposition and surrounded only by a thin, transparent egg membrane. This shell must be penetrated by the pups during or immediately after birth, as they suffocate otherwise. A garter snakes litter usually includes five to twenty pups. In individual cases, however, already litter sizes of more than 80 pups were observed.
Dissemination
In North America, the Common Garter Snake the most widespread species of reptile dar. In Alaska, it is the only snake at all. Their habitat extends south to Mexico in Central America.
Subspecies
- Texas garter snake ( T. sirtalis annectens )
- Rotfleckige garter snake ( T. sirtalis concinnus )
- New Mexico garter snake ( T. sirtalis dorsalis)
- California garter snake ( T. sirtalis fitchi )
- California Rotseitige garter snake ( T. sirtalis infernalis )
- Quebec garter snake ( T. sirtalis pallidulus )
- Rotseitige garter snake ( T. sirtalis parietalis )
- Pickering's garter snake ( T. sirtalis pickeringii )
- Chicago garter snake ( T. sirtalis semifasciatus )
- Florida garter snake ( T. sirtalis similis )
- Eastern garter snake ( T. sirtalis sirtalis )
- San Francisco garter snake ( T. sirtalis tetrataenia )
The subspecies status of T. similis and T. s see semifasciatus is controversial.