The Garter Snake

Garter snakes are normally mistakenly thought to be non-venomous. However, the latest studies dispute these ideas. They do not have fangs but have large teeth at the back of their mouths and the size of their gums is not any less. For their general appearance, they are dark brown or black in color with pronounced light stripes and red spots running in between these stripes. Garter snakes are ovoviviparous and nature

Lifecycle
After mating or rather copulation, the eggs are internally fertilized. The young ones are normally incubated to maturity in the abdomen of the female snake. After about 60 to 90 days, which is the gestation period, the young ones are born. This snake can give birth to as many as about 80 young ones in a single birth. These young ones grow to become adults, mature to mate and give birth to their young ones. The cycle repeats its self.

Habitat
The Garter snakes are mostly found in North America although they are widely spread to other area due to their ability to adapt to other environments. Their habitat would include the grass lands area, the woodland, fields, forests as well as the lawn thus the name garden snake.

Diet
The Garter snake just like other snakes, is cannibalistic is nature. It does not exactly have specific preys to feed on but would basically consume any creature it may come across. Such would include rodents, reptiles like lizards, leeches, earthworms, slugs, amphibians as well as eggs. Those that live near water sources eat aquatic animals. In short, the garter snake will eat whatever is offered by the environment in which it’s in.

Behavior
• Mating behavior Before mating, the garter snake will normally go through brumation. This is basically the act by snakes where the stay without eating for some time say two weeks to clear any food that would rot in their stomach. The male ones in most cases are the first to come out of this period.

• Reproduction The garter snake is said to be ovoviviparous, meaning that they ‘give birth’ to their young ones unlike other species of snakes that lay eggs that latter hutch to their young ones.

• Hunting technique The garter snake in normal cases would choose animals that they can overpower as their prey. They kill them by constricting their prey.

• Defensive means The garter snakes do bite although their bites are harmless as there is no venom involved. They lack fangs that are normally to transfer venom. However, their bites do cause swellings in other cases bleeding. The Garter Snake