Eastern Garter Snake

Here's a (no doubt young) Eastern Garter Snake I met last month. They are considered one of our most common snakes. 

When working at Nokia, I would see them fairly frequently. Unfortunately they liked to sun themselves in the parking lot where there was a fairly high chance of getting run over. I'd try and scare them off the asphalt, though I suspect they'd return there after I was gone. (They understood they needed to warm up but didn't understand the dangers of vehicles.)

I'm afraid I scared this individual who was sunning itself on the top of some greenery but slithered someplace safer when my camera and I came by. It ultimately swam into a hiding place in the water. I know they can't breathe in water, though they probably can stay underwater for at least a couple minutes. And it's possible there was an air pocket in it's hiding space.

Although they're in a different genus, the Garter Snakes are considered to be closely related to the water snakes. But while our Northern Watersnakes are relatives, their closest relatives in NJ are the Eastern Ribbon Snakes. All these snakes are ovoviviparous, so don't expect to find their eggs.

April 6, 2021 at Duke Farms


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