Southern ribbon snake facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Southern ribbon snake |
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| Thamnophis saurita sackenii | |
| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Colubridae |
| Genus: | Thamnophis |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: |
T. s. sackenii
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| Trinomial name | |
| Thamnophis saurita sackenii (Kennicott, 1859)
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The southern ribbon snake (Thamnophis saurita sackenii) is a cool type of snake. People also call it the peninsula ribbon snake or the Florida ribbon snake. It's a kind of garter snake. This snake is one of four different types of ribbon snakes.
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What's in a Name?
The second part of this snake's scientific name is sackenii. This name honors a Russian scientist. His name was Carl Robert Romanovich von der Osten-Sacken. He studied insects!
Where Do Southern Ribbon Snakes Live?
You can find the southern ribbon snake in the southeastern United States. They live in places like southern South Carolina and southeastern Georgia. You can also find them all over Florida. These snakes live from sea level up to about 150 meters (500 feet) high.
What Does a Southern Ribbon Snake Look Like?
The southern ribbon snake is smaller than other ribbon snakes. Adult snakes are usually about 40 to 75 centimeters (16 to 30 inches) long. This length includes their tail.
Their back color is often greenish-olive. Older snakes might look almost black. They have a stripe down their back. This stripe is a light green or olive-gray color. Black lines border this stripe on both sides. The stripes on their sides are bright yellow.
Habitat and Behavior
Southern ribbon snakes love to live near water. You can find them in marshes, lakes, and ponds. They also live along the edges of streams.
These snakes spend time both in water and in trees. They are called semi-aquatic because they like water. They are also semi-arboreal because they climb trees. They especially like wet meadows and thick bushes.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
Southern ribbon snakes give birth to live young. This is called ovoviviparous. The mother snake carries the eggs inside her body until they hatch.
When the babies are born, there aren't many of them. A mother snake usually has only 5 to 12 newborns at a time.
