Chicago garter snake facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Chicago garter snake |
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Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Colubridae |
| Genus: | Thamnophis |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: |
T. s. semifasciatus
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| Trinomial name | |
| Thamnophis sirtalis semifasciatus (Cope, 1892)
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The Chicago garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis semifasciatus) is a type of subspecies of the common garter snake. It lives in the Chicago, United States, region. This snake was first described by Edward Drinker Cope in 1892. You can find it near rivers and streams in northeastern Illinois, like in Boone County and McHenry County.
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About the Chicago Garter Snake
What Does it Look Like?
The Chicago garter snake is a medium-sized snake. It can grow up to 100 cm (39 in) long, including its tail. Its body is usually dark brown or black. It has a yellow or gray stripe down its back. There is also a yellow stripe on each side of its body. Its belly is gray-green with dark spots along the edges. The snake's head usually does not have light spots. Some snakes might have red coloring between their side scales.
One special way to tell the Chicago garter snake apart from other garter snakes, like the eastern garter snake, is its side stripe. Near the snake's head, the side stripe is broken. It looks like a dashed line with black bars crossing it.
Where Does it Live and How Does it Behave?
This snake likes to live in forests and areas near water, such as ponds or streams. It can handle cold weather well. Sometimes, it even comes out of hibernation on warm winter days to sunbathe. The snake usually comes out of hibernation when spring arrives, around March or April. They often mate right after waking up.
Female garter snakes give birth to live young. They can have a clutch of 15 to 80 babies. This usually happens from July to early October. Newborn snakes are about 15 to 20 cm (6 to 8 in) long.
What Does it Eat?
The Chicago garter snake eats many different things. Its diet includes fish and amphibians like frogs. It also eats young birds. For invertebrates, it enjoys earthworms, slugs, and snails.
Unfortunately, these snakes are sometimes killed by people. They are also hunted by other animals, especially hawks and owls.
