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- Code Number:
- ARSV02P01_13C
- Title:
- San Francisco Garter Snake, (Thamnophis sirtalis tetrataenia), Colubridae
- Distribution: San Mateo County, California Adult San Francisco Garter Snakes range from 1.5 to 3 feet in length. They tend to stay near the water and will quickly enter it when they feel threatened. The San Francisco Garter Snake will feed on a variety of animals including fish, toads, frogs, tadpoles, salamanders, birds, small mammals, earthworms, slugs and leeches. This snake is quite active and jumpy. It will vigorously defend itself when it is captured and usually will excrete a foul smell from its anal glands and also empty its bowels on its captor. Contrary to its common name, this snake does not occur in San Francisco, but only in San Mateo county on the San Francisco peninsula. The San Francisco Garter Snake is endangered because of habitat destruction. The ever spreading developments on the San Francisco penninsula are destroying the Garter Snake's home. Preservation of this snakes remaining habitat is the key to its survival. The San Francisco Garter Snake is not alone, there are over 250 endangered animlas and plants in California whose existence is threatened by human activities. Let us all support efforts to insure that these species have a fair chance of survival.
Kingdom: Animalia
Kingdom: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Reptillia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Genus: Thamnophis
Species: Thamnophis sirtalis
Subspecies: Thamnophis sirtalis tetrataenia
(Cope, 1875) - Keywords:
- Image by:
- Wernher Krutein
- Caption Disclaimer
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