The Garter Snake

By Al Lowe
Contributor

Ontario has 15 species of snakes, more than any other province. Of these only one is poisonous. that is the Massasauga Ratler. It lives around Lake Huron and Georgian Bay so it it is no threat to us here.
Here in the north we have only one snake; the Eastern Garter Snake (Thamnohis sirtalis).
Our Garter Snake is quite small, getting only as big as 30 or 40 inches in length. The largest one on record was 54 inches. It does not have a very precise colour. The basic colour is olive-green, brownish or black. It has three stripes all the way down its body and they may vary from yellowish to red. The belly is yellow or green.
This little snake is found farther north than any other on the continent. In Ontario it has been seen as far north as James Bay. From there, it’s range includes most of the eastern half of the continent.
Garter Snakes live on things you would expect - worms, snails, little frogs and toads, insects and so on. They will also eat minnows and grubs of all kinds. And some bigger ones will even eat mice and birds’ eggs.
These reptiles hibernate during the winter. In the Fall they find suitable places under rocks, manure piles, haystacks, caves or hollows in the woods. There is a special place in Manitoba where thousands of these snakes winter over each year. This is near the Narcisse Wildlife Management Area. This is composed of cave-like hollows under great limestone ridges. These were formed by glaciers thousands of years ago, and are ideal places for snakes to hibernate below the frost line.
Since there were so many in one place, commercial harvesters gathered multitudes of them each year. These snakes end up in biology labs at schools and universities for decades. But the harvest threatened the species and the pits were ruled off limits to harvesters in 1982.
Like most snakes, these little reptiles give birth to live young. These are a few inches long and are born 30-40 at a time. No reproductive slouches there! A female has the ability to store sperm, so she can use it later on. A single female Garter Snake, placed in a totally new environment, has the ability to start a whole new population on her own. Since the sperm may be from several different males, she carries the necessary genetic variations to keep the population healthy and diverse.
The Common Garter Snake can do us no possible harm and plays a significant part in the balance of nature. If you don’t feel like protecting and encouraging it, at least leave it alone. It will go quietly about its business and you will hardly know it is there.