11/28/2007
It's tough being a San Francisco garter snake because people are always mistaking different varieties for the locally endangered snake.
"The snake in the photo is a western terrestrial garter snake (Thamnophis elegans)," said Karen Swaim, a herpetologist who has her own biological consulting firm in Livermore. Swaim was consulted after Pacificans photographed what they thought was a San Francisco gartner snake.
"This subspecies is called the coast garter snake and is extremely abundant at the quarry site and many other areas I have surveyed. I believe we captured just over 800 coast garter snakes at the quarry site during our study. The coloration and color patterns of the coast garter snake can be highly variable. Some individuals and populations have the turquoise belly scales as the coast garter in the photo does," she said in recent correspondence with local residents.
Swaim also sent along a photo of a real SF garter snake taken in southern coastal San Mateo County.
The real McCoy
[dohtml]<span class="sidenote" title="
<br>Subspecies Thamnophis elegans "></span>[/dohtml]
It's tough being a San Francisco garter snake because people are always mistaking different varieties for the locally endangered snake.
"The snake in the photo is a western terrestrial garter snake (Thamnophis elegans)," said Karen Swaim, a herpetologist who has her own biological consulting firm in Livermore. Swaim was consulted after Pacificans photographed what they thought was a San Francisco gartner snake.
"This subspecies is called the coast garter snake and is extremely abundant at the quarry site and many other areas I have surveyed. I believe we captured just over 800 coast garter snakes at the quarry site during our study. The coloration and color patterns of the coast garter snake can be highly variable. Some individuals and populations have the turquoise belly scales as the coast garter in the photo does," she said in recent correspondence with local residents.
Swaim also sent along a photo of a real SF garter snake taken in southern coastal San Mateo County.
The real McCoy
[dohtml]<span class="sidenote" title="
<br>Subspecies Thamnophis elegans "></span>[/dohtml]