Two-striped garter snake
| Two-striped garter snake | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Colubridae |
| Genus: | Thamnophis |
| Species: | T. hammondii |
| Binomial name | |
| Thamnophis hammondii (Kennicott, 1860) | |
The two-striped garter snake (Thamnophis hammondii) is a species of aquatic garter snake that lives in western North America.
Taxonomy and etymology
The specific name, hammondii, is in honor of William A. Hammond, the U.S. Army surgeon, who collected the first specimens.[2]
Description
T. hammondii is a medium-sized snake, 18-30 inches long, with a head barely wider than the neck. Two common color variations occur in the wild, a striped variant and a checkered variant. The striped variant has a yellowish lateral stripe on each side, and a fairly uniform dorsal coloring. The checkered variant lacks the lateral stripes and has two rows of small dark spots on each side.[3]
Range, habitat, and diet
The two-striped garter snake is found in western North America, ranging from central California to Baja California, Mexico. They are a highly aquatic species, and prefer habitat adjacent to permanent or semi-permanent bodies of water. This species feeds primarily on fish and amphibians.[4]
References
- ↑ D. R. Frost; G. A. Hammerson & B. Hollingsworth (2007). "Thamnophis hammondii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2009.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
- ↑ Hammond and Xantus de Vesey were not the only "surgeons-ornithologists": Hume, Edgar Erskine. Ornithologists of the United States Army Medical Corps: Thirty-six biographies. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins Press. 1942. 583 p.
- ↑ "Two-striped Gartersnake - Thamnophis hammondii". www.californiaherps.com. Retrieved 2015-08-29.
- ↑ Kucera, T. "Thamnophis Hammondii". California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
Further reading
- Kennicott, R. 1860. Descriptions of New Species of North American Serpents in the Museum of the Smithsonian Institution, Washington. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 12: 328-338. (Eutænia hammondii, p. 332.)