Pacific Northwest
Reptiles & Amphibians
Click on a picture for a larger view
Common Gartersnake - Thamnophis sirtalis
Red-spotted Gartersnake - Thamnophis sirtalis concinnus
(Hallowell, 1852)
Green = range of T. s. concinnus
Click map to enlarge and see key to other subspecies
Related or Similar Northwest Snakes
Wandering Gartersnake
Valley Gartersnake
Puget Sound Gartersnake
Northwestern Gartersnake
 |
 |
 |
| Sub-adult, Benton County, Oregon | ||
 |
 |
 |
| Sub-adult, Benton County, Oregon | Adult, Benton County, Oregon | |
 |
 |
|
| Adult, Benton County, Oregon | Adult, Benton County, Oregon | |
| The snakes below from the eastern part of the range of T. s. concinnus do not have the solid red head and have reduced red blotches on the sides, showing influences from the adjacent Valley Gartersnake subspecies, T. s. fitchi. | ||
 |
 |
 |
| Adult, Multnomah County, Oregon | ||
 |
 |
 |
| Adult, Multnomah County, Oregon | ||
 |
 |
 |
| Adult, Multnomah County, Oregon | Adult, Multnomah County, Oregon | |
| Common Gartersnakes from the large intergrade area on the Olympic Peninsula and south where there are influences from T. s. concinnus, T. s. fitchi, and T. s. pickeringii |
||
 |
 |
 |
| Adult from the northern Olympic Peninsula in Clallam County, Washington, that shows influence of T. s. fitchi as well as the red on the head found on T. s. concinnus © Mario Ramos |
||
 |
 |
 |
| This adult Common Gartersnake from the Lake Quinalt area in Grays Harbor, Washington shows a lot of influence from T. s. concinnus © Mario Ramos |
||
 |
 |
 |
| This Common Gartersnake was found at a location in Pacific County, Washington, which is shown in field guides as an intergrade zone with the Puget Sound Gartersnake, T. s. pickeringii and possibly with the Valley Gartersnake, T. s. fitchi, which it mostly resembles. |
||
| T. sirtalis and T. ordinoides | ||
 |
||
| Looking at the top of the heads can help to identify these sympatric species: T. sirtalis - Common Gartersnake (Left) has a larger longer head with bigger eyes than T. ordinoides - Northwestern Gartersnake (Right.) © Filip Tkaczyk |
||
| Habitat | ||
 |
 |
 |
| Habitat, Multnomah County, Oregon | Habitat, Benton County, Oregon | Habitat, Benton County, Oregon |
 |
 |
|
| Habitat, Multnomah County, Oregon | Habitat, Multnomah County, Oregon |
|
| Short Video | ||
 |
||
| These are all shots of the same Red-spotted Gartersnake I spotted at the edge of a pond. It swam away when I approached it, but I snuck up on it and grabbed it, took a few shots of it on the ground, then let it swim away. |
||
Northwest Reptiles and Amphibians
Return to the Top
© 2000 -