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Reptiles of the United States  
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Eastern Black-Necked Garter Snake Range Map






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Eastern Black-Necked Garter Snake Juvenile

Home »» Snakes »» Colubridae (Colubrids) »» Black-Necked Garter Snakes »» Eastern Black-Necked Garter Snake (Thamnophis cyrtopsis ocellatus)


Eastern Black-Necked Garter Snake (T.c. ocellatus)STATUS





Description: A brilliantly colored, 2 to 3 foot long, 3 striped, garter snake. Dorsal stripe yellow to orange, lateral stripes white to pale yellow. A large black blotch on each side of the neck. 1 row of large black spots on side of neck and anterior body. This changes to 2 rows of alternating black spot at mid and posterior body. A single row of small black spots below each lateral stripe. Intrusion of black pigment causes the lateral line to be uneven. Belly plain white, greenish, or light brown. Scales keeled in 19 rows. Dorsal stripe yellow to orange, lateral stripes white to pale yellow. A large black blotch on each side of the neck. 1 row of large black spots on the side of neck and anterior body.


Habitat: Found near water in desertscrub, grasslands, chaparral, woodland environments. It is frequently found on dry land near a water source rather than in water.


Range: Thamnophis c. ocellatus occurs only in the Edwards Plateau area of Central Texas.


Found in these States: TX


Diet: Hunts in rivers for small fish, amphibians, other snakes, and invertebrates, such as earthworms.


Reproduction: ovoviviparous


Status: Listed as Least Concern in view of the large and probably relatively stable extent of occurrence, area of occupancy, number of subpopulations, and population size. No major threats are known.


Taxonomy:

»» Kingdom: Animalia - Animals
   »» Phylum: Chordata - Chordates
     »» Subphylum: Vertebrata - Vertebrates
       »» Class: Reptilia - Reptiles
         »» Order: Squamata - Scaled Reptiles
           »» Suborder: Serpentes
             »» Superfamily: Colubroidea
               »» Family: Colubridae - Colubrids
                   »» Genus: Thamnophis
                     »» Species: Thamnophis cyrtopsis - Black-Necked Garter Snakes
                       »» Subspecies: T.c. ocellatus - Eastern Black-Necked Garter Snake

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Black-Necked Garter Snake", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0. Content may have been omitted from the original, but no content has been changed or extended.

 

 

 

 

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Disclaimer: ITIS taxonomy is based on the latest scientific consensus available, and is provided as a general reference source for interested parties. However, it is not a legal authority for statutory or regulatory purposes. While every effort has been made to provide the most reliable and up-to-date information available, ultimate legal requirements with respect to species are contained in provisions of treaties to which the United States is a party, wildlife statutes, regulations, and any applicable notices that have been published in the Federal Register. For further information on U.S. legal requirements with respect to protected taxa, please contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

 

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