‹ Compare two snakes
Common Gartersnake vs Terrestrial Gartersnake
Matt Kenne, no rights reserved
Common Gartersnake
Thamnophis sirtalis
Mildly venomous(c) wordjourneys, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
Terrestrial Gartersnake
Thamnophis elegans
Mildly venomousThe quick way to tell
Look at the sides between the stripes. The Common Gartersnake often shows red bars or flecks there. The Terrestrial Gartersnake is usually duller, with dark checks and no red bars.
Pattern ★ This settles it
Three pale stripes - spine and low on each side - often with red flecks between.
Three dull, broken stripes with dark checks between; some nearly plain brown.
Head
Small head barely wider than the neck; often with pale jaw markings.
Small head barely wider than the neck.
Eyes
Round pupil, fairly large dark eye; no heat-sensing pit.
Round pupil, fairly large dark eye; no heat-sensing pit.
Pits
None. There is no pit between the eye and the nostril.
None. There is no pit between the eye and the nostril.
Tail
Fairly short, about a quarter of its length; no rattle.
Fairly short; no rattle.
What it does
Flees for cover; musks and may give a scratchy bite if held.
Flees to cover; will eat almost anything it can catch.
Where it lives
Nearly all of the United States and southern Canada, except the driest Southwest.
Western US and Canada: Pacific coast east through the Rockies to the Dakotas, Nebraska, Colorado, New Mexico and the Oklahoma Panhandle.