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Plains Garter Snake
(Thamnophis radix)
| Identification: Pale stripes on sides of
body on third and fourth scale rows above outer edges of belly scales;
black vertical bars on upper lips; bold yellow or orange stripe along
middle of back; upper scales keeled, in 19–21 rows at midbody; anal scale
single; tongue red or orange at base; maximum total length about 109 cm
(43 inches), rarely this big in Colorado, usually not more than 85 cm (33
inches) total length.
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Colorado Distribution:
Throughout the Great Plains region
of Colorado, primarily at elevations below 6,000 feet, but individuals sometimes
range to 7,000–7,500 feet in foothill canyons.
Habitat:
Vicinity of virtually any permanent
or semipermanent flowing or nonflowing body of water; typically along shores and
shallows of marshy areas but often strays far from water, showing up in
residential areas, dry grasslands, and sandhills. Seeks shelter underground or
beneath rocks, logs, or similar cover.
Life History:
Females
give birth in July, August, or September. Foods include earthworms, leeches,
snails, slugs, grasshoppers, other insects, fishes, frogs, toads, amphibian
larvae, and small mammals, obtained on land or in the water.