Puget Sound Garters & polymorphism

[katach]

IMAG0970-1-1.jpg

So where do you start and stop counting?

[ConcinusMan]

7, rarely 8 (it does happen occasionally)for all sirtalis'. If you see 8, then much of the time, on sirtalis' there's 7 on the other side.

I see 8 too. Try the other side. If you still see 8, then the inter nasal scale shape can be used to tell sirtalis apart from elegans. Plus, on elegans, the 6th and 7th aren't as enlarged as they are on sirtalis'.

[katach]

IMAG0973.jpg

You are correct. She didn't like that side of her head photographed

[ConcinusMan]

There it is. Lucky 7.

[katach]

So the 8 on the other side, is that normal to find the two sides different?

[ConcinusMan]

Yes. occasionally a snake will have 8 instead of 7, but in my experience, the extra scale is usually just on one side. An extra upper labial on one side happens in other species too. I'm sure theres a few T. elegans' out there with 9 on one side instead of the usual 8. I've seen quite a few northwesterns (t. ordinoides) with 6 on one side, 7 on the other.

[katach]

Cool. I love learning new stuff about my little friends.

[ConcinusMan]

Check this out. Amy is missing a head scale completely. Can you spot it? Weird huh?

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[katach]

Right in the middle?

[ConcinusMan]

Yeah. Not there. The other scales partially make up for it but theres still some scaleless area there.