Gartersnake Research Project
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Gartersnake identification

What kind of Gartersnake is this?

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.

Submit your sighting Fill out a short form to submit your sighting and contribute to important citizen science!

The Gartersnake Research Project
Location
Room 320 Building 8
Bury Hall
610 Knoles Dr.
Flagstaff, AZ 86011
Mailing Address
P.O. Box 5614
Flagstaff, AZ 86011
Contact Form
Email
GartersnakeResearch@nau.edu
Phone
928-523-7760
Fax
928-556-9111