Project Noah

Project Noah is a tool to explore and document wildlife and a platform to harness the power of citizen scientists everywhere.

Join Project Noah Today

Diablo Range Garter Snake

Thamnophis elegans terrestris

Description:

Thamnophis atratus grows up to 18-40 inches (46–102 cm) long. Its dorsal coloration varies greatly. The different coloration patterns are: pale gray with alternating rows of darker blotches on the sides, dark brown with borders that are less distinct, or nearly all black. A long yellow stripe running down the back may be present or absent, only confined to the neck, or just very indistinct. The throat and underside of the snake are whitish to yellow. One variety of this snake has a blue-gray background color with a faint olive-colored dorsal stripe and white dots along its sides. Another morph has a yellow dorsal stripe with black spots along its sides. The second variation has the more classic garter snake look; however, due to its behavior and scalation, it is grouped in this species. Wikipedia

Habitat:

UC Berkeley Botanical Gardens Japanese Pool, Berkeley, CA.


1 species ID suggestions

mmarchiano
mmarchiano 3 months ago
Diablo Range Garter snake
Thamnophis atratus zaxanthus Diablo Range Garter snake

5 Comments

misako
misako 3 months ago

Thank you for the ID mmarchiano!

misako
misako 11 months ago

That's great S.jo! I'm going to have to get over there to see the baby newts and the old rose garden is my favorite spot.

S.jo
S.jo 11 months ago

I love the gardens and go almost weekly! My own spotting of a garter snake happened here, along with two types of newt, dragonflies, (and, of course, beautiful flora). Everyone should visit now, while the newts are still around (the babies are starting to show up and are getting bigger!) and the snakes are easy to spot. I also highly recommend the magnificent Old Rose Garden, and a trek down the "mexico" and "Eastern U.S." paths, which many people skip because they are less planned/ obviously floral.

misako
misako 11 months ago

This is the second one I spotted here. The first was during the newt mating period:http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/10011243

I love the gardens--have fun!

Hemma
Hemma 11 months ago

Wow Misako,a very unusual place to find a garter snake!!
I am planning to visit these gardens next week.

Oakland, California, USA

Lat: 37.88, Long: -122.24

Spotted on May 20, 2012
Submitted on May 23, 2012

Related spottings

Common Garter Snake Western Terrestrial Garter Snake Garter Snake Garter Snake

Nearby spottings

Female Anna's Hummingbird Red Damselfly California Newt Egg Sacs Fava Bean Blossoms