Garter Snake Facts
- Garter snakes are among the most common snakes in North America. Garter snakes are usually 23-30 inches long but have been know to grow up to 53 inches long.
- Garter snakes colors vary from green to grey to almost black, but regardless of the color, they all have a noticeable side and back stripe.
- Garter snakes got their name from their patterns on their sides, which resemble the garters that men wore a long time ago to hold up their socks.
- Garter snakes hibernate in the winter, much like a bear. Garter snakes have been known to travel 20 miles to their hibernating place in Manitoba, Canada. It is one of the largest Garter snake gatherings in the world and you could find hundreds of these snakes snoozing through the winter here.
- Garter snakes are harmless, although many people are afraid of them anyway. In reality, the garter snake is more likely to be afraid of you! If you are walking along and come across a Garter snake, the snake’s first instinct is going to be to hide. There only form of defense against us is a foul-smelling musky liquid that they release if picked up.
- Garter snakes give birth to 20 to 40 babies at a time. The record number of baby garters recorded was 98! That’s a lot of snakes!
Read more about a specific breed of garter snakes here:
Common Garter Snake
San Francisco Garter Snake
Checkered Garter Snake
Red-Sided Garter Snake
Eastern Garter Snake
To learn more about Garter Snakes and overall care, here are some helpful books that can be found on Amazon.com.
- Garter snakes colors vary from green to grey to almost black, but regardless of the color, they all have a noticeable side and back stripe.
- Garter snakes got their name from their patterns on their sides, which resemble the garters that men wore a long time ago to hold up their socks.
- Garter snakes hibernate in the winter, much like a bear. Garter snakes have been known to travel 20 miles to their hibernating place in Manitoba, Canada. It is one of the largest Garter snake gatherings in the world and you could find hundreds of these snakes snoozing through the winter here.
- Garter snakes are harmless, although many people are afraid of them anyway. In reality, the garter snake is more likely to be afraid of you! If you are walking along and come across a Garter snake, the snake’s first instinct is going to be to hide. There only form of defense against us is a foul-smelling musky liquid that they release if picked up.
- Garter snakes give birth to 20 to 40 babies at a time. The record number of baby garters recorded was 98! That’s a lot of snakes!
Read more about a specific breed of garter snakes here:
Common Garter Snake
San Francisco Garter Snake
Checkered Garter Snake
Red-Sided Garter Snake
Eastern Garter Snake
To learn more about Garter Snakes and overall care, here are some helpful books that can be found on Amazon.com.
Interesting Snake Facts
- Snakes can not go backwards. They can turn the front half of their body and go in that direction but you will never see a snake going in reverse.
- Snakes do not have ears, but they can hear. They listen to the sound waves that come through the skin on the side of their skull, to the jaw muscle, to the ear bone.
- Snakes sense of smell comes through their tongue. That is one of the reasons they constantly flick their tongue in and out of their mouths. Little particles adhere to the tongue and are transferred to the roof of the mouth; from there they go to a special little chamber that is used for sensing the smells around them.
- Snakes “crawl” by contracting and then relaxing their muscles lengthwise along the body.
- Snakes have anywhere from 250-300 ribs.
- Snakes are feared by many, but no snake will attack unless provoked.
- Snakes do not have ears, but they can hear. They listen to the sound waves that come through the skin on the side of their skull, to the jaw muscle, to the ear bone.
- Snakes sense of smell comes through their tongue. That is one of the reasons they constantly flick their tongue in and out of their mouths. Little particles adhere to the tongue and are transferred to the roof of the mouth; from there they go to a special little chamber that is used for sensing the smells around them.
- Snakes “crawl” by contracting and then relaxing their muscles lengthwise along the body.
- Snakes have anywhere from 250-300 ribs.
- Snakes are feared by many, but no snake will attack unless provoked.
