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Common Garter Snake

Thamnophis sirtalis

Description:

It was about 9 inches long.

Habitat:

Spotted in a cultivated field bordering deciduous woods while cutting the grass.

Notes:

This garter had milky-blue eyes.

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4 Comments

Kyle A
Kyle A 9 years ago

Thank you very much for the confirmation and your expertise AshleyT. This particular snake wasn't aggressive, but it was very annoyed by me handling it. It kept doing a twirling sort of thing which I've never seen before.

AshleyT
AshleyT 9 years ago

Yes, milky blue eyes mean a snake is about to shed. Snakes shed their eye scale along with the rest of their skin. You will also notice the pattern on the entire body is very faded, this happens right before they shed as well. They cannot see very well when their eyes are blue like that and are much more likely to defend themselves by biting because they have no idea what's going on when you are getting close to them.

Kyle A
Kyle A 9 years ago

I'm not sure why the eyes are blue. My guess is that it's about to shed.

Hema  Shah
Hema Shah 9 years ago

That is what I was about to say,milky blue eyes!! do you think that it is ready to shed?

Kyle A
Spotted by
Kyle A

Rhode Island, USA

Spotted on Jun 23, 2014
Submitted on Jun 23, 2014

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