Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Name this garter, this is only one of three I have been fortunate enough to catch. I love these guys, truly my favorites.
Kevin

Is it a T.elegans ssp?
Snakes of Eddy County, NM

It appears to have 8 upper labials so if it came from southwestern Oregon, odds are it would be T. atratus. However I have seen what others (at OSU) have identified at T. couchi and T. elegans (both also with 8 SLs) that have morphs in various parts of their ranges, (particularly in Calif.) that resemble the snake you show. Even morphs of T. ordinoides would match your specimen however this latter species usually has 7 upper labials and it's head/eye conformation usually differs from the specimens you show.

Richard F. Hoyer

I will it is the aquatic or oregon garter, due to the scalation,and narrow head. I have caught only two others, but it is a long drive for me and I don't get down there much. They also seem to be more scattered than other times of garter. I can walk a mile up a creek and only find one or two! Every other garter can usually be found every ten feet. This one is a little different then the others that I have caught, it has a much darker pattern. I just love these guys, they are really strange looking with their narrow heads.
Thanks
Kevin
PS- Richard, you are gonna have to show me how to find sharptails one of these days, I have only seen about three in my entire life.

Kevin,

I agree. This is a really interesting garter snake. I found this one in the southwestern part of the state (OR) also.

Kevin:
I went out to my former hot spot in Polk County on May 31 and observed 7 Sharptails. Now that it has turned hot locally, the chances of finding the species has diminished down towards zero.

Richard F. Hoyer

Wandering garter snake (Thamnophis elegans vagrans)?
James