What kind of snake is this?

[Em Wright]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebJ3g-CBniA&feature=related

I was skimming around on YouTube and found this video. I was wondering if anyone could identify the snake in it? He's actually quite lovely and his fishing skills are splendid! :laugh:

 

[dionythicus]

Looks like a garter snake of some sort.

 

[Em Wright]

Do garters typically eat fish? :shrugs:

It's a cute video nonetheless.

 

[ComoxCorn]

My guess would be a red striped ribbon snake.:shrugs:

 

[Kanchii]

yes garters and ribbons eat fish

 

[Em Wright]

Now I want a garter snake. haha

Thanks for the feed back guys. Ribbons I'm not familiar with, I'll need to do some research.

 

[tyflier]

It looks like a Diablo Range Garter--Thamnophis atratus zaxanthus. Here is a photo I borrowed from CaliforniaHerps.com:

And yes...many garters and ribbon snakes thrive on a diet of fish. The Sierra Garter(Thamnophis couchii) is also known as the Western Aquatic Garter and eats salamanders, newts and fish almost exclusively, and is rarely encountered far from a water source. So much so that they are very often confused for Nerodia subspecies of watersnake.

 

[Chip]

Looks like an eastern garter to me. The stripe is almost queensnake-esue, but the body shape doesn't match. Seems to be a Thamno.

 

[alan]

I've never seen an Eastern Garter with that orange dorsal stripe. The rest of it looks exactly the same as an Eastern from around here.
I've also never seen a snake catch fish, I've seen them eating fish but never the fishing part. That was a good video.

 

[Chip]

I've never seen an Eastern Garter with that orange dorsal stripe. .

Ditto. The rest of it's features was what added up to my wild guess. It's been decades, but I used to catch easterns and feed them minnows and goldfish out of a dish. They were about as haphazard at it as that one, to memory.

 

[alan]

I searched it. It looks like a Texas Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis annectens), so it's still a Common Garter.
When I looked it up I found out there's a lot of nice looking Garter Snakes.

 

[Chip]

Good job, rep given!

 

[tyflier]

It would help to know where the person posting the video is from. Based on what I heard in the video, it appears to be a wild caught snake. I heard something about the snake eating so they are goin\g to keep it...or something, I don't remember exactly. But I got the distinct impression that it was wild caught.

Knowing where it was caught would do a GREAT deal towards identifying it.

searched it. It looks like a Texas Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis annectens), so it's still a Common Garter.
When I looked it up I found out there's a lot of nice looking Garter Snakes.

Sorry, but a google image search for Thamnophis sirtalis annectans showed me a lot of snakes that look nothing like this one. I still believe it to be a T. atratus subspecies, which are primarily west and northwestern U.S. and into southwestern Canada...

 

[alan]

Sorry, but a google image search for Thamnophis sirtalis annectans showed me a lot of snakes that look nothing like this one. I still believe it to be a T. atratus subspecies, which are primarily west and northwestern U.S. and into southwestern Canada...

Huh-uh Chris, there are T.s.annectans pics that look nearly the same, but I found more atratus pics that look even more like the snake in the video(one in water that was a dead ringer). Add to that the T.atratus species are called "aquatic garter snakes" and I'm sure you're correct even without knowing locality.

 

[Chip]

Knowing where it was caught is everything.


In any case, a cool video.

 

[Em Wright]

I'm glad everyone enjoyed the video, I wonder how hard it would be to contact the person who made it. :shrugs:

At any rate I do appreciate the feedback on what it is. Thanks muchly!!

Em.

 

[tyflier]

Huh-uh Chris, there are T.s.annectans pics that look nearly the same, but I found more atratus pics that look even more like the snake in the video(one in water that was a dead ringer). Add to that the T.atratus species are called "aquatic garter snakes" and I'm sure you're correct even without knowing locality.

The one in the water actually looks like the same Diablo I posted a picture of earlier...

Actually, the atratus complex used to be classified along with couchii which is the Western Aquatic Garter, more accurately and affectionately known as a Sierra Garter:

I found this beautiful little girl a couple weeks ago. She LOVES to chase small Danios and Fathead Minnows around her water-tub...

 

[ComoxCorn]

I still think it's a red striped ribbon snake as opposed to a garter. Ribbons have 3 distinct stripes wereas a garter snakes lateral stripes tend to blend into the belly. Here are a couple of pics of a red striped ribbon.

 

[Em Wright]

Those pictures look a lot like the one in the video to me. What do you know about the Ribbon snakes? Are they easily obtained or are they something that is usually wild caught? How's their temperment?

I guess the same questions go for garter snakes as well. I'll likely do some research, but I felt asking was good too.

Thanks everyone for your input!

 

[ComoxCorn]

Ribbons and garters are both pretty easy to handle. Beware though, both like to let loose a rank smelling fluid when held. I can't speak for the states, but in Canada, I'm not sure either is for sale.