Garter snake it is... Nothing to have sleepless nights over indeed, hahaha... They seem a bit wild in their behavior, but they're no danger whatsoever...
BMX_PYTHON
Jun 20, 2004 11:30 AM
Mildly venomous!?!? They do not have venom glands and do not produce venom although they do have something in their saliva that does make you swell, I wouldn't consider them venomous at all!
DoorGunner
Jun 20, 2004 4:51 PM
Looks like a checkered garter.
ssssnakeluvr
Jun 21, 2004 11:35 AM
That is an eastern garter snake....thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis. They are harmless.
Buddy25
Jun 22, 2004 8:02 PM
Venemous, ahahahahahah. I've never been bit by a garter, but boy do they know how to musk LOL.
That doesn't look like a Eastern Garter too me, ... maybe a butlers garter?
ssssnakeluvr
Jun 23, 2004 12:19 AM
It's an eastern garter...they have quite a variable pattern. Butler's garters have a linmited range around Michigan and a couple other states
Buddy25
Jun 23, 2004 9:28 AM
There ya go, I learn something everyday lol...
I know snakes such as the garter come in variation, but this checkerd looking garter looks nothing like the eastern garters around where I live(Ontario)
ssssnakeluvr
Jun 24, 2004 2:15 PM
Easterns have a large range and do have quite a variable pattern....check out Scott Felzers website and you can see quite a variety that he has!! www.scottfelzersgarters.com
mattbrock
Jun 24, 2004 11:48 PM
That's definitely an eastern garter without any doubt. They are subject to extreme variation. I once caught a gravid female and she gave birth to the litter and no two of them looked the same. And as for them being venomous, they don't have venom glands and I've been bitten by several garters with no swelling or bruising at all. So you can think that if you want to but it has yet to be proven, just speculation.
Matt
ChrisRezendes
Sep 30, 2004 1:11 AM
This is a bit old, but I can't help but respond. Here in Massachusetts, you can catch 5 Thamnophis s. sirtalis and 4 will look nearly identical to the one in the picture. Very few will be the stereotyical solid black with yellow stripes. Some will be lacking stripes altogether. If you find enough, you will notice aberrant patterns, like a lot of green or red. Just to reiterate what has already been said, that is definitely an Eastern Garter.
