The duvernoys secretion of the wandering garter snake thamnophis elegans vagrans is highly toxic to mice, causing marked hemorrhaging in the lungs, diaphragm, mesentery and stomach lining, as well as mild local hemorrhaging. Using the garter snake genome, we show how snakes have evolved numerous adaptations for sensing and. This snake was first described as species new to science in 1942. Bryan jennings and others published dependence of the garter snake. These snakes often continue growing over their reproductive lifespan and exhibit considerable intraspeci.
The scientific name thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis is a combination of ancient greek and new latin that means bush snake that looks like a garter strap. Following a prolonged bite by a large specimen of the wandering garter snake thamnophis elegans vagrans, symptoms of envenomation rapidly developed. Following a prolonged bite by a large specimen of the wandering garter snake thamnophis elegans vagrans, symptoms of envenomation rapidly develope. The western terrestrial garter snake thamnophis elegans occurs in a. Range in california, this subspecies, thamnophis elegans vagrans wandering gartersnake, is found east of the southern sierra nevada mountains. Common name wandering garter snake scientific name thamnophis elegans family colubridae length up to about 100 cm reproduction livebearing general status sensitive wandering garter snake plains garter snake photo.
The western terrestrial garter snake, thamnophis elegans, has one of the largest ranges in the genus and is characterized by a generalized diet over most of its species range. Arnold 1982 of the wandering garter snake thamnophis elegans vagrans have been published, but fitch 1940, drummond and burghardt 1983 and others have demonstrated large variations in the ecological characteristics between local populations of this abundant and wideranging species fig. Tooth characteristics of the dentition in the wandering garter snake, thamnophis elegans vagrans serpentes, colubridae. The energetic consequences of dietary specialization in. If you have questions about keeping garter snakes as pets, start with the care guide.
Wild herps terrestrial gartersnake thamnophis elegans. Daily variation in the body temperatures of freeranging. Subsequently, some authors have noted similarities between northern populations of the mexican wandering garter snake and southern subspecies of the western terrestrial garter snake thamnophis elegans vagrans, leading them to reclassify the former as another subspecies of the western terrestrial garter. I did some further investigation and realized he was right. Thamnophis elegans vagrans pdf version of this page. Wandering garter snake thamnophis elegans vagrans wandering garter snake. Wandering garter snake thamnophis elegans vagrans hm 307348 wandering garter snake. Three subspecies of thamnophis elegans are found in california t. The body temperature tb of garter snakes thamnophis elegans can vary considerably in the course of a day e. Behavioral comparisons were made of two populations of the garter snake thamnophis elegans.
It is common and widely distributed across southern portions of the province, including the south coast, and north through the interior to the peace river district gregory. Western terrestrial garter snake thamnophis elegans. Terrestrial gartersnake thamnophis elegans montana field guide. For the terrestrial garter snakes thamnophis elegans living in the eagle lake basin in california, life can take two very different directions. Lives mainly in and near water, such as lakes and rivers. The dorsal stripe is often well defined and straight down the back in yellow, orange, cream or white but can be irregular looking because of black markings.
The thermal dependence of locomotion, tongue flicking. Bird predation on the garter snake thamnophis elegans near eagle lake in california introduction. Coastal populations have a specialized diet of slugs and inland populations have a generalized diet of fish, anurans, mice and leeches. An ecological study of the garter snake, thamnophis sirtalis. Active and inact i ve snakes were observed dur ing the abundance sampling period and from 22 t o 24 june and 18 to 19 jul y 1983. Characteristics wandering garter snakes thamnophis elegans vagrens are medium sized snakes with a head a little wider than the neck and keeled dorsal scales. The ribbon garter snake thamnophis proximus figure 3 is uncommon and is found in isolated areas in the far eastern portion of nebraska. In this small area of around 100 square kilometers, located in. Wandering gartersnake thamnophis elegans vagrans wandering gartersnake, red phase identification. Species terrestrial gartersnake thamnophis elegans.
Wandering gartersnake thamnophis elegans vagrans is the only subspecies of terrestrial gartersnake see crowther 2008 for current taxonomy in british columbia. Thamnophis elegans occurs in a wide variety of habitats, including grasslands, woodlands, and coniferous. The dorsal stripe can be absent or resplendent in various shades and colors, such as red, orange, greenish yellow, tan, blue or white. The western terrestrial wandering gartersnake is found in a confusing array of striped and nonstriped forms, with or without black spots. Western terrestrial wanderinggarter snake reptiles of bc. Multiple paternity in the western terrestrial garter snake, thamnophis elegans article in canadian journal of zoology 835. The western terrestrial or wandering garter snake thamnophis elegans figure 4 is rare and has been found only in the extreme northwest corner of.
Here, we report and analyze the genome of the garter snake, thamnophis sirtalis, a colubrid snake that is an important model species for research in evolutionary biology, physiology, genomics, behavior, and the evolution of toxin resistance. Smith in 1942, is now considered a separate species, t. Some notes on wandering garter snakes, thamnophis elegans. Garter snake bites are generally innocuous to human beings. Welcome to the official web site of scott felzers garter snakes. Envenomation following the bite of a wandering garter snake. The toxic duvernoys secretion of the wandering garter snake.
Duvernoys secretion from the wandering garter snake t. Human envenomation from a wandering garter snake sciencedirect. Northwestern chihuahua to western zacatecas in mexico. Thamnophis elegans terrestris fox, 1951 coast garter snake. Found in northern siskiyou and modoc counties in california and in south central oregon, this intergrade was once considered a unique subspecies. Envenomation following the bite of a wandering garter snake thamnophis elegans vagrans clinical toxicology. The generic name thamnophis is derived from the greek thamnos bush and ophis snake and the new latin siratalis like a garter, a reference to the snake s pattern resembling a. Thamnophis elegans vagrans baird and girard, 1853 wandering garter snake. Thamnophis elegans alabama chintokchakkosi, biloxi ndesi kdexi, cajun french serpent deau, central nahuatl acoate, central tarahumara baka ra chi, baku suri, macarachi, chickasaw sinti okchamali, sintokchamali, choctaw pachalhpali, sinti basoa, dutch kousenbandslang, english american garter snake, american ribbon snake, arizona garter snake, arizona wandering garter snake, culebra.
Relationship between mass and snake svl by sex for thamnophis elegans n 5 119 collected at umtanum creek, washington, may through september 2005. Systemic hemorrhaging was most pronounced in mice receiving doses approximating the p. Utah milk snake lampropeltis triangulum taylori rare wandering western garter snake thamnophis elegans vagrans common valley common garter snake thamnophis sirtalis fitchi uncommon great basin gopher snake pituophis catenifer deserticola uncommon desert night snake hypsiglena torquata deserticola rare. Wandering gartersnake thamnophis elegans vagrans is the only subspecies of terrestrial. In canada, thamnophis elegans is highly aquatic, rarely found far from water, although as its common name suggests, it. Garter snakes, once considered soley a beginners snake, are becoming more and more popular as pets. Gartersnake see crowther 2008 for current taxonomy in british. Rossman, ford, and seigel 1996 emphasize that a detailed study of geographic variation throughout the range of. Wandering garter snake subspecies thamnophis elegans. Sep 08, 2002 i had originally identified these as thamnophis cyrtopis, blacknecked gartersnakes, which do live in this area and do have surprise. We report a case of human envenomation from the wandering.
Melanistic wandering gartersnake thamnophis elegans vagrans. The ecology of garter snakes, thamnophis sirtalis and t. Rossman, ford, and seigel 1996 emphasize that a detailed study of geographic variation throughout the range of thamnophis elegans is badly needed. They are small by colubrid standards rarely exceeding 4 feet in length, inquisitive by nature. Diet and foraging behavior of the wandering garter snake thamnophis elegans vagrans at umtanum creek, kittitas county, washington. The western terrestrial garter snake thamnophis elegans has six recognized subspecies. Thamnophis elegans vascotanneri tanner and lowe, 1989 upper basin garter snake. The subspecies of western terrestrial garter snake found in b. High altitude populations of this subspecies in california might breed later. Garter snakes are not picky and will eat almost any creature that they are able to catch including small fish, amphibians, small mammals, earthworms, slugs, and leeches. A medium to large up to 900 mm or 36 in total length gray, brown, or orangebrown snake with a single cream colored stripe down the midline of the back dorsal stripe. Wandering gartersnake gartersnake research project.
The duvernoys secretion of the wandering garter snake thamnophis elegans vagrans is highly toxic to mice, causing marked hemorrhaging in the lungs. Molecular adaptations for sensing and securing prey and. Garter snakes make great pets, from beginners to even the most advanced hobbyist. Discover lifes page about the biology, natural history, ecology, identification and distribution of thamnophis elegans mountain garter snake discover life. Wandering garter snake bighorn canyon national recreation. Most recent records some records may be hidden from the public. We report a case of human envenomation from the wandering garter snake thamnophis elegans vagrans. Envenomation following the bite of a wandering garter.
Laboratoryborn snakes of both populations were compared for their tendency to eat fish and their aquatic foraging behavior. Envenomation following the bite of a wandering garter snake thamnophis elegans vagrans. Multiple paternity in the western terrestrial garter snake. The generic name thamnophis is derived from the greek thamnos bush and ophis snake and the new latin siratalis like a garter, a reference to the snakes pattern resembling a striped garter strap. The wandering garter is the widestranging of six subspecies of the western terrestrial garter snake thamnophis elegans, and the only one found in canada. Topics concerning breeding of the garter snakes and or problems related to breeding of garter snakes. The western terrestrial garter snake thamnophis elegans is a western north american species of colubrid snake. We measured crawling speed, swimming speed, tongueflicking rate, digestive rate, and oxygen consumption at tbs of 535 c in snakes.
This elegant little garter snake is a frequent visitor to many backyards throughout its range. Individuals were iden tified by clipping ventral scales brown and parker 1976. Scott felzers garter snakes, specializing in aberrant garters. Pdf dependence of the garter snake thamnophis elegans on. Six female and four male garter snakes snoutvent length 482703 mm, mass 50209 g were collected and brought to the laboratory. Effects of temperature on embryo mortality in the garter snake thamnophis elegans ryan p. Wandering garter snake subspecies thamnophis elegans vagrans. Arnold despite widespread belief that selection molds thermoregulatory behaviors, direct. The mexican wandering garter snake, first described as thamnophis elegans errans by hobart m. There are usually two additional thin light stripes on the 2nd and 3rd scale rows. But a gartersnake breeder from holland, steven bol, informed me that these look just like young t.
The northwestern garter snake is the most variable in color and patterning of all oregon snake species. Thamnophis elegans arizonae thamnophis elegans elegans thamnophis elegans terrestris thamnophis elegans vagrans thamnophis elegans vascotanneri thamnophis elegans hueyi pictures of thamnophis elegans. The subspecies of western terrestrial garter snake found. We investigated the intraspecific variation in digestive energetics between dietary specialist and generalist populations of the western terrestrial garter snake thamnophis elegans in northern california. Taxonomy family colubridae colubrids genus thamnophis north american gartersnakes species elegans western terrestrial gartersnake subspecies vagrans wandering gartersnake original description thamnophis elegans baird and girard, 1853 cat. Extension garter snakes in and z1782 around the home. The patient, who was bitten on his right third fingertip, rapidly developed local edema, ecchymosis, and hemorrhagic vesicles. The toxic duvernoys secretion of the wandering garter. Wandering garter snake thamnophis elegans vagrans hm 307348 wandering garter snake thamnophis elegans vagrans hm 307347 wandering garter snake. Thamnophis elegans mountain garter snake discover life. Subsequently, some authors have noted similarities between northern populations of the mexican wandering garter snake and southern subspecies of the western terrestrial garter snake thamnophis elegans vagrans, leading them to reclassify the former as another subspecies of the western. Wandering garter snake thamnophis elegans vagrans wc isolated from males for 4 years nine offspring, 21 yolked ova multiple litters not recorded four live, five dead two normal in appearance, two partially formed, one developmental abnormalities automixis schuett et al.
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