common garter snake

NH Conservation Status: Not listed

State Rank Status: Widespread and secure

Distribution: Throughout NH

Description: A small striped snake measuring 18-26 inches. Has variable color patterns but typically has 2-3 yellow, brownish, or greenish stripes running vertically down the top and sides of the snake. May also have variable black spots between the stripes.

Commonly Confused Species: Eastern ribbon snake; Brown snake

Habitat: Found in a variety of habitats including woodlands, hillsides, wetlands, backyards, and even urban areas. Will use a variety of cover objects for shelter including rocks, logs, stumps and other debris such as trash piles and sheet metal.

Life History: Breeding may occur in spring or fall. Ten to 40 live young are born from July to September. Hibernation may be solitary or communal in rock crevices, holes, stumps, or foundations.

Conservation Threats: Species is secur

from: http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Wildlife/Nongame/snakes/profile_garter_snake.htm

Published on Sep 20, 2013

This is actually six (6) varying, but related—save an adorable, happy ending—videos pasted together, but the feeding segment starts at the 2:04 mark and is most of the video. I strongly encourage You to read my notes below, too; some are just short clarifications of my lazy articulation or when I can't be heard well, while others—such as the 3:37 and 5:34 notes—detail elaborations, knowledge and trivia. I am nervous when on camera, even just speaking and not seen, especially when something as exciting or a first-time event like this is going on, so I cannot think clearly and leave a lot out and am not able to utilize my technical terminology well. Thanks, and enjoy!!

1:26 -- '...a good reference to my knee, my hand...' and fat *near* the tail; not 'fat tail', haha. Having watched this video a few times now, this specimen may have just been inflated/flattened to appear more threatening (defensive), and thus, either gender is possible (and therefore not necessarily a gravid female).

3:37 -- Where I talk about the rear fangs (and the Duvernoy's gland essentially, I just didn't mention per se), and in particular: the misbelief of "puncturing and deflating toads", I would like to provide an excerpt of greater elaboration, from Linda Krulikowski's amazing book: Snakes of New England:

"The [Duvernoy's] gland is composed of branched tubules rather than simple groupings of cells, and is situated immediately under the skin, above and near the angle of the jaw. It is derived from the same tissue as tooth enamel. The Duvernoy's gland opens by a duct at the base of the posterior, enlarged teeth. The secretions from the glands flow down the enlarged, rear teeth and into the prey, by the chewing motions of the snake. The secretions are introduced slowly into the victim, by indirect pressure from the nearby jaw-closing muscles (Green. 1997: 78-95). The secretions of Duvernoy's glands are colorless, whereas true [= Viperidae, Elapidae] venom glands secretions are typically some shade of yellow. These clear secretions immobilize the victim and help the snakes digest the prey."

"The secretions are introduced slowly into the victim, by indirect pressure from the nearby jaw-closing muscles (Green. 1997: 78-95)." This is where it looks like not just Heterodon, but also Thamnophis and Nerodia, as can be seen at the 5:09-10 mark (starts opening at 5:06), are "puncturing and deflating toads."

"These clear secretions immobilize the victim and help the snakes digest the prey." As stated in my video, this jaw-closing action is trying to immobilize the prey via injecting venom, but also to expedite/aid the digestion process.

Trivia Bit #1: Rear-fanged serpents are technically called opisthoglyphous, or in the case of a few genera such as Leioheterodon, aglyphous.

Trivia Bit #2: Nerodia spp. don't inject venom; they possess an anti-coagulant instead, which induces bleeding/prevents the wounds from clotting. Thus, the prey bleeds, and consequently 'faints', faster. Id est, it is still being immobilized.

5:34 -- Where I talk about the white [milky] substance, a toxin, produced by toads' parotoid glands to distaste, sicken or even kill would-be predators, which many other amphibians (including some newts) produce via different means, it is technically called Bufotoxin with Bufo spp., such as this B. americanus was producing against this Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis.

Parotoid [alternatively, paratoid] vs. Parotid. It is technically the former with toads and other amphibians, but many sources will speak "parotid" which is actually a salivary gland in humans. This is an ongoing funny mistake by many authors and sources. Just a little trivia for You. And please excuse my mispronunciation; being a musician, I utilize "artistic license" on many words in Life. ;)

Thamnophis complex = North American Garter and Ribbon Snakes
Heterodon complex = North American Hognose Snakes
Nerodia complex = North American Water Snakes
(There are different genera of hognose and water snakes around the world, such as Madagascar Hognose Snakes (Leioheterodon) and South American Hognose Snakes (Lystrophis), and Eurasian Water Snakes (Natrix). There may be other Water and Garter/Ribbon Snake genera...?)

8:38 -- 'She is definitely on-guard.'

8:44 -- 'Wo, hey, [just] trying to get some footage of You, Girl.'

9:43/9:46 -- The white powdery substance on my (left) hand was the serpent's feces/musk.

10:18 -- 'Head scales' is quite commonly used; however, "plates", which consist of many differently-named groups around the head, is more proper. In Hognose Snakes of all three genera, they also have azygous scales which are situated immediately behind the rostral scale (the one which gives them their "Hog" nose), and which separate the internasals and prefrontals.

10:34 -- [Thamnophis] sirtalis sirtalis (shame on me for leaving out the actual genus name :P)

Published on Apr 14, 2012

Three smaller male Eastern garter snakes compete to seduce a larger, unresponsive female during an unseasonably warm and humid mid-April day. Photographed at Fisher, Minnesota (14 April 2012).