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Common gartersnakes Thamnophis sirtalis are small (<90 cm, record 137.2 cm) natricine snakes with keeled scales often found in disturbed habitats like urban and suburban yards. They are commonly encountered generalist snakes across much of the North American continent and eat small invertebrates, fish, amphibians and mammals.
Western populations are a model organism for an elegant case study in evolutionary arms races, Tetrodotoxin Resistance.

Thamnophis gartersnakes may puff up or flatten out defensively and bite. They can deliver a weak venom used in prey handling from the back of the mouth, but are not considered medically significant to humans.

One of the widest-ranging snakes in North America, this species complex is almost certainly harboring unrecognized diversity and shows strong population structure at major biogeographic barriers (ie Mississippi River embayment and Peninsular Florida).

Relevant/Recent Phylogeography: Link 1|Link 2| Range Map

This genus is in need of revision using modern molecular methods.


This short account was prepared by /u/Phylogenizer.


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There are a number of resources for snake ID and this list is nowhere near comprehensive.

Globally, comprehensive species lists are available via Reptile Database Advanced Search. Reptile Database is mostly correct and up to date in terms of taxonomy. Another worldwide resource is Snakes of the World which, in addition to being comprehensive for extant snakes, also provides a wealth of information on fossil taxa.

Regional guides are useful. If you're in North America, the Eastern Peterson Guide and Western Peterson Guide are great tools, as is Snakes of the United States and Canada. While plagiarized and problematic, the book Snakes of Mexico is the best easily accessible information for the region. For Central America, the Kohler book as well as Savage's Costa Rica book are excellent resources. South America is tough but has a diagnostic catalog. Australia has Cogger as a herp bible. SE Asia has two guides one in German and one comprehensive. For Europe, you simply can't get better than the three volumes of Handbuch der Reptilien und Amphibien Europas. Africa is also difficult - no comprehensive guide exists but there are a few good regional guides like Reptiles of East Africa and Guide to the Reptiles of Southern Africa. Amphibians and Reptiles of Madagascar is a good source for that distinct region. For the Indian subcontinent, use Snakes of India

Remember, species names are hypotheses that are tested and revised - old books become dated by the nature of science itself. One of your best resources is going to be following /r/whatsthissnake, or (for North America) with the SSAR Standard Names List for the most recent accepted taxonomic changes.

Here is an example of a small personal herpetology library.

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Like many other animals, snakes have mouths and can use them to bite in self defense. These animals are referred to as 'not medically significant' or traditionally, 'harmless'. Bites from these snakes benefit from being washed and kept clean like any other skin damage, but aren't often cause for anything other than basic first aid treatment. Some snakes use venom from front or rear fangs as part of prey capture and defense. This venom is not always produced or administered by the snake in ways dangerous to human health, so many species are venomous in that they produce venom, but considered harmless to humans in most cases because the venom is of low potency, and/or otherwise administered through grooved rear teeth or simply oozed from ducts at the rear of the mouth. Species like Ringneck Snakes Diadophis are a good example of mildly venomous rear fanged dipsadine snakes that are traditionally considered harmless or not medically significant. Similarly, but without specialized rear fangs, gartersnakes Thamnophis ooze low pressure venom from the rear of their mouth that helps in prey handling, and are also considered harmless. Even large species such as Malayopython reticulatus rarely obtain a size large enough to endanger humans so are usually categorized as harmless.

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There are a couple of different styles. On the low end, there are simple on/off type that just switch the source on and off to keep in in a range. They'll typically keep it in 2-4 F range. They're affordable, but don't often offer much in the way of features, though the one I recommend has a thermal safety cutoff and a programmable night drop.

On the other end are thermostats built specifically for reptile and amphibian keeping. The typically offer advanced features like proportional control (they vary the voltage to the heat source to keep a very tight temperature range), night drops, temperature ramping, thermal safety cutoff, and more. They're significantly more expensive, but they're worth the extra money. This is the unit I recommend in that class. That one controls a single heat source, but there are other versions available with multiple independent channels that can independently manage 2, 4, or 6 different heat sources at once.

Blue Rock Rattlesnake, native to India, harmless.

https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Rock-Rattlesnake-Stuffed-Animal/dp/B004THRBTI/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1493651327&sr=8-1-fkmr1&keywords=tiger+republic+89091

californiaherps.com

This book doesn't have accurate taxonomy but is still an invaluable resource for IDs and general information:

Peterson Field Guide to Western Reptiles & Amphibians, Fourth Edition (Peterson Field Guides) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1328715507/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_xd7YBbKB95P8S

For Asia:
Reptile Database http://www.reptile-database.org/

https://www.amazon.com/Amphibien-Reptilien-Südostasiens-Wolfgang-Grossmann/dp/3931587126/

https://www.amazon.com/Field-Guide-Reptiles-South-East-Asia/dp/1472920570/