Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Found these guys in central Indiana. Quite a good population of them in my yard. They don't mind coming in the back door if they get the chance. These 2 are babies the kids picked up a few weeks ago.
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Diego

Sorry, not sure what happened to the pic. Lets try this:

eastern garter snakes. thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis

It is a tad late for newborns, but I can't imagine them being in your yard in numbers unless that was the case. Garters are live-bearers & may have dozens in a birthing. They feed primarily on amphibians & will also eat fish...although they may well eat other things. I have seen a photo of a garter in Canada swallowing a bird. It was no doubt found by the snake after death, as opposed to being caught alive.

These are snakes that seem to be evolving a venom & delivery system, but are not yet considered to be dangerous to man.

~~Greg~~

I have seen several adults, a couple that appeared to be yearlings, and then these two were found together when we we clearing weeds. Even had one come in the back door. The adults are mostly even the same red color. I have found one that was darker like the pics someone else posted. They wouldn't touch the fish I offered them, but they loved the salamanders and every so often they will eat a nightcrawler. Thanks for the ID

Here are some pics of two found in Noblesville, IN so you can see how they color up with age.

2nd

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3.1 Corn (Anery Stripe-Ripple '06/Amber-Jack Straw '06/Snow-Casey Jones '06/Amel Motley-Cosmo '03)
0.1 Baird's Ratsnake (Sugaree '04)
1.0 White Oaks Grey Rat (Tennesse Jed '04)
0.1 IJ Carpet Python (Cassidy '04)
1.0 Western Hognose (Samson '05)
1.1 Shepherd mix (Dylan 8yrs, Porter 3yrs)

here's a tham from Benton Co Ind. (the intergrade-zone of Chicago and Eastern garters), a chicago/eastern mix perhaps ?
sirtalis X semifasciatus?

>>here's a tham from Benton Co Ind. (the intergrade-zone of Chicago and Eastern garters), a chicago/eastern mix perhaps ?
>>sirtalis X semifasciatus?
>>

It looks like the dorsolateral stripes are uninterrupted near the anterior though....I think they're legit T. sirtalis sirtalis

the five or so bars interupting the lateral stripe is what drew my attention. I have noticed that these bars get more pronounced from Benton Co to Newton County up til' ya get textbook semifasciatus in Lake Co. Of course, easterns are j/ as common in these counties as well. appreciate the input.