Trisha Shetty (Editor)

Butler's garter snake

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit
Kingdom
  
Subphylum
  
Vertebrata

Suborder
  
Scientific name
  
Thamnophis butleri

Rank
  
Phylum
  
Order
  
Family
  
Higher classification
  
Butler's garter snake httpsc1staticflickrcom7617461384151991c76

Similar
  
Garter snake, Snake, Reptile, Plains Garter Snake, Ribbon snake

Butler s garter snake s first try


Butler’s garter snake (Thamnophis butleri) is a species of garter snake in the family Colubridae. It is endemic to North America.

Contents

Butler's garter snake Reptiles and Amphibians of Ontario A New Ontario Reptile and

Butler s garter snake feeding


Etymology

The specific name, butleri, is in honor of ornithologist "Mr. A[mos]. W[illiam]. Butler" (1860-1937) of Brookville, Indiana.

Geographic range

Butler's garter snake Butler39s Garter Snake Herpetological Resource and Management LLC

It is found in northwestern Ohio, northeastern Indiana, the eastern portion of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, and the adjacent extreme southern tip of Ontario, Canada. Also, a disjunct population is found in southeastern Wisconsin.

Description and identification

Butler's garter snake Endangered snakes could move to Canatara Sarnia Observer

It is a small, slender snake, averaging 38–51 cm (15–20 in) in total length (including tail), with three yellow to orange stripes along the length of its body. The background color can range from olive-brown to black, and it may also be possible to discern two rows of dark spots between the side and back stripes. These features do little to distinguish them from most other garter snakes species, but the placement of the lateral, or side, stripes is unique to this species. In Butler's garter snakes, the lateral stripes are centered on the third scale row up from the ventral scales, and they also overlap the adjacent second and fourth scale rows. This contrasts with the lateral stripe placement of other garter snake species.

Butler's garter snake BioKIDS Kids39 Inquiry of Diverse Species Thamnophis butleri

For those hoping to avoid getting close enough to inspect the position of the lateral stripe, other features may help in their identification. The head is unusually small for a garter snake, and, when excited, the effort this snake expends to escape seems to go more towards thrashing in place than to getting away.

Ecology

Butler's garter snake Animal A Day Butler39s Garter Snake

Butler’s garter snakes inhabit moist, grassy, open canopy areas, such as meadows, wet prairies, marshes, savannas and grasslands. Like Kirtland's snake, they may also be found in grassy vacant lots in suburban and residential areas. The species can often be found under rocks, logs, trash, and boards. They subsist on a diet of mainly earthworms, but they may also eat leeches, salamanders, and frogs. The species hibernates communally, often with other garter snake species. Butler's garter snakes are a relatively short-lived species, and they reach sexual maturity in their second spring.

Reproduction

Butler's garter snake mnrsarbtlrsgrtrsnksmjpg

The species is ovoviviparous. Mating takes place in late March and early April. The young are born in June or July, in broods of four to 14. The newborns are 13–18 cm (5.1–7.1 in) long.

Conservation

  • In Indiana, Butler's garter snake is listed as an endangered species.
  • In Ontario the snake is also listed as endangered.
  • References

    Butler's garter snake Wikipedia


    Similar Topics