Friday Herp Blogging: Western Ribbon Snake

My neighbor brought this snake(click the pic for better detail) over in a box after catching it while in his flower bed. It is from the genus Thamnophis, commonly known as Garter snakes. More specifically it is probably a Western Ribbon Snake, Thamnophis proximus. It has three conspicuous dorsal stripes, with the lateral stripes being found on dorsal scale rows 3 and 4. They are slender, medium-sized snakes that live in a semiaquatic habitat. The small inset picture is so you may get an idea of the size. That is the tip of a size 11 ½ shoe beside it. Don’t worry, despite my wife’s desire for every snake on earth to die, I let this one slip beneath the fence behind the house.

More info on Garter snakes.

Don't forget to check out the Modulator's Friday Ark!