Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 11

Thread: Help ID please

  1. #1
    Adult snake stonyloam's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Western NY
    Posts
    599
    Country: United States

    Help ID please

    My nephew found this in central Missouri. Using my vast knowledge of garter snakes I am guessing Plains garter (T. radix). Does it look gravid to you? Thanks!!!!

    Terry

  2. #2
    Brother Snake GarterGuy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Lancaster,PA
    Posts
    1,351
    Country: United States

    Re: Help ID please

    Ok, with just a top view it's really hard to tell if it's a T.radix or not. A side shot would work a lot better. The differance between the common (T.sirtalis) and Plains (T.radix) is that the side stripe is on the 3rd and 4th scale row (2nd and 3rd on sirtalis) and also they have a row of black spots between the side stripe and the belly. As far as it being gravid....doesn't really look like it.....kind of lean looking for a gravid snake. Hope this helps.
    Roy
    Roy
    0.1 T.s.pallidulus

  3. #3
    Moderator adamanteus's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Cheshire. (Near Manchester).
    Posts
    10,633
    Country: United Kingdom

    Re: Help ID please

    Hi Terry, I'm not the man to tell you what it is, I'll leave that to the other guys, but I can tell you what it isn't...it isn't T. radix! It does look gravid, doesn't it.
    James.

  4. #4
    Dutch, bold and Thamnophis-crazy Thamnophis's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Netherlands
    Posts
    1,659
    Country: Netherlands

    Re: Help ID please

    It is T. radix or T. sirtalis.
    Can't tell from the picture.
    And gravid... can't really see.
    It is always advisable to be a loser if you cannot become a winner. Frank Zappa

  5. #5
    Juvenile snake hjelte's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Gothenburg
    Posts
    155
    Country: Sweden

    Re: Help ID please

    well a sideshot as mentioned is the best way to determine the species, but I have both a radix and a sirtalis, and I think that it looks much more like a sirtalis judging from the shape of the head and the colouring. Hope someone of the experts here at the forum will help you out!

    Regards//Chris

  6. #6
    Former Moderator Cazador's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Location
    Alaska, USA
    Posts
    1,608
    Country: United States

    Re: Help ID please

    Hey Terry,

    I can also tell you what it isn't... I'm pretty sure it isn't a tetrataenia, and I'm almost positive it isn't an infernalis . Beyond that, my snake ID abilities are pretty limited .

    I can, however, tell you that the majority of the bulk on that snake appears to be in the front half of the snake. You would expect the bulk to be in rear half if it were gravid. I can't rule out the possibility that it's in the very early stages of gestation, though.

    Rick

    P.S. Just a word of caution... I'd strongly encourage you never to release this snake in New York, particularily if it turns out to be a radix.

  7. #7
    Adult snake stonyloam's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Western NY
    Posts
    599
    Country: United States

    Re: Help ID please

    "P.S. Just a word of caution... I'd strongly encourage you never to release this snake in New York, particularly if it turns out to be a radix."

    Because it would not survive? It is in Missouri and will probably stay there.
    Terry

  8. #8
    Thamnophis Collectus Josh's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    wilkes barre
    Posts
    1,182
    Country: United States

    Re: Help ID please

    it looks like my eastern

  9. #9
    Former Moderator Cazador's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Location
    Alaska, USA
    Posts
    1,608
    Country: United States

    Re: Help ID please

    Quote Originally Posted by stonyloam View Post
    "P.S. Just a word of caution... I'd strongly encourage you never to release this snake in New York, particularly if it turns out to be a radix."

    Because it would not survive? It is in Missouri and will probably stay there.

    Nah. It would probably survive just fine in New York. That's the problem, though. It's not native to New York, so you don't know if it would outcompete and displace the local species or worse yet, if it would hybridize and potentially reduce the fitness of offspring. It's the whole "invasive species" issue.

    Rick

  10. #10
    Adult snake stonyloam's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Western NY
    Posts
    599
    Country: United States

    Re: Help ID please

    Oh OK! Invasive species can be a real problem. We have zebra mussels, spiny water fleas and round gobies infesting our waters (most came in ballast water from foreign ships coming into the great lakes). We also have a problem with wood beetles from Asia (from wooden packing crates) and are not allowed to transport firewood out of some parts of the state. We even had an outbreak of chronic wasting disease in deer (now under control) that came in on taxidermy materials from out west. We are lucky compared to some states like Florida (snakes, iguanas, fish birds etc.). Besides I would not want to disrupt my little genetic pool of stripeless, green, brown, blue, maybe maritime garters.
    Terry

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •