Northwestern Garter Snake (California Garter Snakes)

Northwestern Garter Snake

Thamnophis ordinoides

Summary ⁴

Thamnophis ordinoides or the Northwestern Garter snake, is a species of colubrid garter snake that lives in Oregon, Washington, California, and British Columbia. The garter snake is small, with adults averaging around 14-21Â inches long. The northwestern garter snake is one of the most variable snakes in the world, however, no subspecies have been confirmed. The snake is most commonly found on the edge of meadows, surrounded by forest, as some sunshine is needed for their survival.

Habitat ⁴

Comments: This snake is primarily terrestrial but may be found near or occasionally in water; often it occurs in meadows, forest clearings, and along the edges of thickets (Nussbaum et al. 1983, Brown et al. 1995, Rossman et al. 1996, Ernst and Ernst 2003, Stebbins 2003). Hibernation sites include talus slopes or deep rock crevices.