A Guide to the Amphibians
and Reptiles of California
Click on a picture for a larger view
Western Terrestrial Gartersnake - Thamnophis elegans
Intergrades formerly known as
Klamath Gartersnake - Thamnophis elegans biscutatus)
Gray: Range of these intergrades in CaliforniaClick on the map for a topographical view
Map with California County Names
| Currently classified as an intergrade of the Mountain Gartersnake - Thamnophis elegans elegans, and the Wandering Gartersnake - Thamnophis elegans vagrans, this snake was previously recognized as a unique subspecies named Thamnophis elegans biscutatus - Klamath Gartersnake. It occurs in extreme northern Siskiyou and Modoc counties in California just south of the Oregon border, and above the border in south central Oregon. |
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| Juveniles, Lake County, Oregon | ||
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| Juvenile, Lake County, Oregon | Juvenile, Lake County, Oregon | Adult, © Dr. Robert Lawson @ CA Academy of Sciences |
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| Adult, Tule Lake, Siskiyou County. This snake was found within the intergrade range, but it is identical in appearance to T.e. elegans. | ||
| Habitat | ||
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| Habitat, 4,100 ft. Siskiyou County | Habitat, 5,100 ft., Lake County, Oregon | Habitat, 5,100 ft., Lake County, Oregon |
| More Information: NatureServe Explorer USGS Stebbins, Robert C., and McGinnis, Samuel M. Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of California: Revised Edition (California Natural History Guides) University of California Press, 2012. Stebbins, Robert C. California Amphibians and Reptiles. The University of California Press, 1972. Flaxington, William C. Amphibians and Reptiles of California: Field Observations, Distribution, and Natural History. Fieldnotes Press, Anaheim, California, 2021. Samuel M. McGinnis and Robert C. Stebbins. Peterson Field Guide to Western Reptiles & Amphibians. 4th Edition. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 2018. Stebbins, Robert C. A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians. 3rd Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2003. Behler, John L., and F. Wayne King. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians. Alfred A. Knopf, 1992. Powell, Robert., Joseph T. Collins, and Errol D. Hooper Jr. A Key to Amphibians and Reptiles of the Continental United States and Canada. The University Press of Kansas, 1998. Bartlett, R. D. & Patricia P. Bartlett. Guide and Reference to the Snakes of Western North America (North of Mexico) and Hawaii. University Press of Florida, 2009. Bartlett, R. D. & Alan Tennant. Snakes of North America - Western Region. Gulf Publishing Co., 2000. Brown, Philip R. A Field Guide to Snakes of California. Gulf Publishing Co., 1997. Ernst, Carl H., Evelyn M. Ernst, & Robert M. Corker. Snakes of the United States and Canada. Smithsonian Institution Press, 2003. Taylor, Emily. California Snakes and How to Find Them. Heyday, Berkeley, California. 2024. Wright, Albert Hazen & Anna Allen Wright. Handbook of Snakes of the United States and Canada. Cornell University Press, 1957.Brown, Philip R. A Field Guide to Snakes of California. Gulf Publishing Co., 1997. Rossman, Douglas A., Neil B, Ford, & Richard A. Siegel. The Garter Snakes - Evolution and Ecology. University of Oklahoma press, 1996. Brown et. al. Reptiles of Washington and Oregon. Seattle Audubon Society,1995. Nussbaum, R. A., E. D. Brodie Jr., and R. M. Storm. Amphibians and Reptiles of the Pacific Northwest. Moscow, Idaho: University Press of Idaho, 1983. St. John, Alan D. Reptiles of the Northwest: Alaska to California; Rockies to the Coast. 2nd Edition - Revised & Updated. Lone Pine Publishing, 2021. |
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