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Common Garter Snake | Daily Animal Facts

Animal profile

Common Garter Snake

Thamnophis sirtalis

ReptiliaMeadows, marshes, forest edge, ditches, gardens and stream banksLeast Concern

Field profile

The common garter snake is the most widespread snake in North America, striped lengthwise in yellow, green or red on a dark ground. It eats earthworms, amphibians, fish and small vertebrates. It is the northernmost-ranging snake on the continent and overwinters communally in large numbers.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2024-11-10

Common Garter Snake

Thousands of garter snakes share a winter den

In the Interlake region of Manitoba, red-sided garter snakes gather in limestone sinkholes each autumn in numbers reaching the tens of thousands per den. They emerge together in spring into some of the largest mating aggregations known in any vertebrate.

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