California Red-sided Garter Snake
| California Red-sided Garter Snake | ||||||||||||
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California red-sided garter snake ( Thamnophis sirtalis infernalis ) |
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| Thamnophis sirtalis infernalis | ||||||||||||
| ( Blainville , 1853) |
The California red-sided garter snake ( Thamnophis sirtalis infernalis ) is a subspecies of the common garter snake ( Thamnophis sirtalis ). It is endemic to California along the coast from Humboldt County to just off Monterey Bay , with the exception of a large part of the San Francisco Peninsula, and from Santa Barbara County to San Diego County .
features
Californian red-sided garter snakes are medium-sized snakes whose heads, red to orange-red on top, hardly stand out from the neck and have relatively large eyes. The body is dark olive to black in color, the back scales are keeled. The greenish, blue or light yellow to white stripe on the back is clear and broad. The side stripes run along the second and third rows of back scales and are red, interrupted by dark spots and delimited by dark to black stripes. The lighter stripes along the abdomen are indistinct and partially merge with the light green to light blue color of the abdomen. In the northern area there are sometimes animals with a strong blue belly.
Way of life
California red-sided garter snakes colonize diverse, open or densely overgrown, as well as wet and dry habitats . They are predominantly diurnal, good swimmers, and have a wide range of prey that includes various invertebrates and small vertebrates. The mating season is in spring and possibly autumn, the young are born alive.
proof
- Thamnophis sirtalis infernalis at californiaherps.com (English)
- Martin Hallmen, Jürgen Chlebowy: Garter Snakes . Natur und Tier-Verlag, 2001, p. 171 ISBN 3-931-58749-5
