the.com/garter snake
the polite suburban serpent that's secretly venomous but couldn't care less about you.
means A small, harmless, common North American snake, typically striped lengthwise, often found in gardens and yards.
from Named for the garter — the band that holds up a stocking — because the snake's long stripes call to mind the lengthwise lines of that garment. "Garter" itself comes through Old French from a Celtic root meaning the bend of the knee, the spot a garter once hugged. Some folks hear it as "garden snake," a tidy mishearing that suits the creature's habits, but the original is firmly sartorial.
- mild venom
- Has weak venom, harmless to humans
- toxic snacks
- Eats poisonous newts and stores their toxins
- winter orgies
- Hibernates in giant mating balls of hundreds
- live birth
- Gives birth to up to 80 babies
- smell defense
- Releases foul musk when grabbed
common garter snake — thamnophis sirtalis, north america's most widespread snake species, found from canada to central america
striped garter snake — thamnophis sirtalis parietalis, subspecies with distinctive lateral stripes found throughout western north america
red-sided garter snake — thamnophis sirtalis parietalis, manitoba canada population with 75,000+ individuals emerging from hibernation each spring