100 Species #22: Common garter snake

[urbpan]

A common garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis) found at the edge of my driveway. The garter snake is North America's most common and abundant reptile. It is a small (rarely growing to 3 feet long) predator of earthworms, slugs, salamanders and other small animals. It prey to many other creatures including skunks, larger birds, and as I suspect in this case, house cats. I suspect a cat because this snake's carcass is entirely here, none of it is eaten, but it's head has been crushed by a bite. Most predators kill as a matter of feeding themselves, while domestic cats are sated of this need and kill because the instinct moves them to; they leave the dead behind as grisly offerings on pillows, doorsteps, and driveways.


Each scale on a garter snake is keeled, bearing its own central ridge, giving the skin an overall rough appearance. The garter snake is named for the band of fabric that holds up stockings, though many mishear the name as "garden snake."



The snake's crushed head. First I assumed that the snake was crushed by one of our cars, but no part of the body was flattened. I relocated the carcass to our brush pile, where it disappeared quickly, most likely into one of our local skunks.


Garter snakes have appeared in photos on this blog before, from Drumlin Farm, Franklin Park Zoo (as a wild, non-collection animal), and at Cutler Park.

Comments

[squid-ink.livejournal.com]

I've also seen dogs gleefully chewing and winging these about

I know dogs can do no wrong in your house but you're very quick to blame cats

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

Fortunately, no one in my neighborhood allows dogs free reign of the neighborhood, as they do with their cats.

[squid-ink.livejournal.com]

well people arent SUPPOSED to in my neighborhood.. but they do. I've seen some pretty hair raising stuff as a result.

snakes, squirrels, various rodents.. even a deer leg from who knows where. You think people would be concerned about their dogs being exposed to parasites

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

Indeed. Fortunately there are laws and dog officers to enforce them (not enough, and not enough funding for them certainly). No such laws for cats for some reason, probably because they are unlikely to hurt people, and because they are still considered more disposable than dogs.

[perspicuity.livejournal.com]

cats are more likely to go feral too from what i've read.

and more cats are not fixed, it seems, as compared to dogs. i can't remember the last time i saw a puppy offering, but cats? all the bloody time.

i like cats, but they breed like rats. at least around here, they make good food for foxes and coyotes and fishers and ... as such, we don't have ferals anymore.

#

[squid-ink.livejournal.com]

i like cats, but they breed like rats. at least around here, they make good food for foxes and coyotes and fishers and ... as such, we don't have ferals anymore.

I guess you're too busy to get involved in a TNR program so they don't breed, I suppose. So no you don't like them THAT much

we used to have alot around here too. No we just have a colony that's holding steady, everyone's been 'done'. There are solutions. And yes we have coyotes and fox and even a bobcat.

it's a rough life for ferals

some compassion would be nice

many of them used to be housecats but for the hateful heart of their former owners

[cottonmanifesto.livejournal.com]

tnr for a feral cat colony involves a little more than "time" and is frequently harmful (if one gets bitten by a feral cat, it can be extremely dangerous) to the person involved.

don't be all holier than thou, it's not becoming.

[squid-ink.livejournal.com]

don't be all holier than thou, it's not becoming

yes it's better to call for the death of all free running cats

that's a finer solution

[cottonmanifesto.livejournal.com]

it is a finer solution - for sure the songbirds and voles and mice and snakes think so.

[perspicuity.livejournal.com]

actually, i am quite busy. barely have enough energy to work, eat, and get some chores done, then sleep. don't get out much lately.

as for compassion, the ones we had weren't just strays, but full on wild, not much you can do with that. but we don't have those anymore, so it's not really even an issue.

#

[cottonmanifesto.livejournal.com]

it would've had to be a pretty small dog to do that damage! maybe the frenchie pup next door?

[squid-ink.livejournal.com]

theres a golden that likes to go 'off leash', I've seen him do 'minor' but fatal damage to squirrels. I'm not saying a dog did the above damage, but it is possible.

Last time 'puppy' was running around offleash and wound up in my backyard he was terrorizing a frog. I've seen him maim them before, just chew them up a little and spit them out

and fwiw that mutt isn't fixed. He's one of several with 'special' owners.

[cottonmanifesto.livejournal.com]

charlie has killed a couple of squirrels - no damage, 'cept internal (one quick shake) and a canada goose (by swimming it to death - i don't even). my dog (maggie) loves to hunt frogs but she hasn't ever caught one though. fortunately, there's a plethora of all of these animals and, as far as the goose and squirrels go, possibly too many.

you seem to be under the misapprehension that urbpan has something against cats. he doesn't.

[squid-ink.livejournal.com]

he's always referring to feral cats as major pests. Over and Over again

the major pests are the people who allow them to breed uncontrollably, and dump them outside when it's convenient.

Cats are not protected by law in my state (CT) so people can poison them, treat them in horribly cruel manners .. and they do. Dogs are protected by law, so these people are prosecuted if they mistreat dogs. Cats.. meh. Disposable

by repeating 'feral cats are nothing but pests', it's feeding into this cycle. And the results are heartbreaking. So yes I have a problem with it.

but I guess that makes me 'holier then thou'

and I'm not going to change your mind so.. just keep your dogs on a leash and for chrissake please clean up their shit especially if you're by a water source.

[cottonmanifesto.livejournal.com]

that's because they ARE major pests. they are a danger to the wild animal population - REGARDLESS of why they are there.

being holier than thou is assuming that people have the same rabies about protecting feral cathood (and i might say here - to the detriment of other species) that you do. not everyone gives a fuck. oh well.

we are responsible dog owners - thanks!

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

At my job, feral cats (and loose pet cats) are major pests. Forgive me if I seem to bring it up repeatedly. Dogs are also pest animals when they occur on grounds, which happened exactly once last year. By comparison, we caught 16 cats on grounds, hopefully before they could spread toxoplasmosis to the kangaroos.

I may bring up cats as pests more than other animals because they are only pests due to the way people keep them (intact, free to roam), and I'm hoping, as I believe you are, that cat owners will change their behavior and prevent their pets from becoming pests.

[cottonmanifesto.livejournal.com]

you're such a wonderful diplomat.

[propaddict.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen a garter snake in years. Not since I stepped on one quite accidentally and scared the bejesus out of both of us.

Thank FSM it wasn't a copperhead. . .

[bill_sheehan.livejournal.com]

I found a garter warming itself on the sidewalk near the Fenway Victory Gardens a couple years ago. I picked it up to admire it more closely, then found a place where it wouldn't get trodden on. It still surprises me how much wildlife exists in the shadow of skyscrapers.

[plantmom.livejournal.com]

I've had garter snakes in my gardens. I always consider it an indication that my methods encourage them to live here, as I don't use chemicals like Round-Up. They do help with the rodent population.

Re: animals killing other animals, we were startled a couple of years ago when Tasha killed a rabbit. She had to be about nine at the time, not young for a larger dog like her, so we congratulated her on being that quick a hunter. Of course, we then had to worm her.