Snake Spotlight: Plains Garter Snake, Thamnophis radix!
One of the most common species near where I live (at least anywhere there’s water within a half mile), these impressive garters range throughout the western Great Plains along the eastern slope of the Rockies from southern Canada to the panhandle of Texas, as well as eastward into the northern Midwest prairies of Minnesota and even Wisconsin. Anywhere moist is their preference, and their food choice follows: frogs, fish, earthworms, slugs, but also even small rodents. Mildly rear-fanged venomous as all garters are, they use it to stun their prey as they don’t constrict. To us though, at best it causes a rash if one chews on you for a while (and most people wouldn’t let them chew that long).
Average sized as far as garters go, typical adult size reaches between 18 inches and 3 feet, though the bigger females can sometimes push toward 40 inches or so and quite chunky for a garter. They’re easily recognized by the pale to brilliant orange unbroken dorsal stripe, behind a head that can range from olive green to black (with black and cream-barred lips) with a tiny orange spot near the back of the head, and green to brownish and often semi-checkered flanks that sport another usually cream stripe near their belly. Within their range, no other garter has a similar coloration and build, as the orange-striped ribbon snakes and eastern garters occur further south/southeast. Their side stripes also tend to occur higher up on their flanks, with less checkered background.
#snakes #animals #educational #wildlife #nature
Ms. Que Banh
Carlton Carnivores
Ancient Origins
Highretrogamelord
Unofficial PetaPixel Bot
Adventure Games History
