Pics of my couchii

[GartersRock]

I LOVE rubber and rosy boas. Gotta get me some of those powder blue and cocoa brown Rosy's someday.

[Loren]

Here's my Sierra garter (t. couchii) That I have had for about 5 years. Caught it as a baby.
This pic is old, She has grown since this was taken.

[GartersRock]

Those are so unique! Where are they found?

[tyflier]

Those are so unique! Where are they found?

Most commonly on the Eastern Slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in eastern California. They are found in other areas, but they are most often encountered in the Eastern Sierras.

[Loren]

Sierra Garters are found primarily in the Sierra mountain Range of California. Almost always near water, in my experience. I have seen them underwater hunting baby trout in streams. They would anchor their back half under a rock in the shallow's and strike at the trout as they swim by.

[Garter_Gertie]

I Love Learning All This Stuff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Don't Stop!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[tyflier]

Sierra Garters are found primarily in the Sierra mountain Range of California. Almost always near water, in my experience. I have seen them underwater hunting baby trout in streams. They would anchor their back half under a rock in the shallow's and strike at the trout as they swim by.

They actually have neutral bouancy, so they can literally crawl along streambeds foraging for newts and such. Really neat little snakes. For a long time they were referred to as Western Aquatic Garters...still are in some places.

[jitami]

Loren, more awwww's for the rubber boas The two couchii we saw this summer were both under water in a fairly swift river. The smaller of the two my husband actually spotted while crossing over a footbridge. You could just see this little squiggle swimming in the shallows. I stayed on the bridge as spotter while he ran down there and played spotter til I got down there... by then it had swam out deeper and I had already changed into dry clothes and didn't want to get wet. It was really neat watching it fish, tho! The larger of the two is the one who repeatedly bumped into my leg under water... it bumped me, I chased it, it swam faster than me, I gave up when it went out into the swift water, out of nowhere it bumped me again, I chased, it swam to a rock, I had my hand almost all the way around it's middle when it struck at my face(I was floating in water, while it was anchored in a crack in a rock), I jumped, it swam... yeah... quite silly... lol

[Loren]

I once stripped down to my undershorts and swam out after a sierra garter into a lake (No one was around but my wife).
That was the most aggressive sierra I have ever dealt with. Ended up having a face-off with it on a rock out in the middle of the lake. I wasnt looking to collect it, so I just checked it out a bit and left it go.

[Loren]

Well, I'll take ya'all on a quick field herping trip for couchii

First we go to a mountain lake (reservior actually) in California.


Then, walking along, we see a snake swim out into the water. Its a Sierra Gartersnake.


It stops on a floating log.


Then, after chasing it up and down the bank, we lay on the bank and grab it out of the water as it tries to swim under some rocks. We take a picture of me holding it, but I forget to smile.


Then we debate- keep it, or let it go, keep it, or let it go.
And then let it go after one last pic.


Hope you had fun.