Gartersnake identification
As you can tell from the image above, it isn’t easy to identify Gartersnakes in the wild. The species in the photo is a Northern Mexican Gartersnake (Thamnophis eques megalops) and can be extremely difficult to identify, even for the most seasoned field biologist. For all researchers in the field, proper identification technique training is a must, and for our citizen scientist out there we offer here great visual cues to utilize when trying to get a proper I.D.
Choose which Gartersnake you would like to learn about from the list below.
- Narrow-headed Gartersnake (Thamnophis rufipunctatus)
- Black-necked Gartersnake (Thamnophis cyrtopsis)
- Northern Mexican Gartersnake (Thamnophis eques megalops)
- Wandering Gartersnake (Thamnophis elegans)
Also remember, never handle a Gartersnake species in the wild. They can bite and should always be left untouched and undisturbed. The researchers in many of our photographs that are handling the snakes are highly trained professionals.
