Hobbies And Interests
Appearance
Garter snakes grow up to 3 feet long on average. The color of garter snakes is highly variable, and several subspecies are found in Michigan. Butler's garter snake has an olive to brown base and three pale yellow stripes that run the length of its body. This subspecies is differentiated from the common garter snake, which is found in the same range, by the location of the stripes. Butler's garter snakes have yellow stripes on the third scale row as well as on half of the second and fourth scale rows, while common garter snakes have yellow stripes only on the second and third scale rows, according to herpetologists at the Center for Reptile and Amphibian Conservation and Management.
Diet
Garter snakes have a diverse diet and will eat any animal they can overpower and fit in their mouth. The snakes often feed on small insects, worms, snails and leeches when they are young. As they mature they feed on larger prey such as amphibians, crayfish, small rodents, fish and occasionally bird eggs. Garter snakes actively hunt during the day using their excellent sense of smell to locate and track down their prey. Garter snakes are nonvenomous, but their saliva is slightly toxic to small animals, which makes it easier for them to kill their prey. Like all snakes, garter snakes swallow their prey whole.
Reproduction
Garter snakes are ovoviviparous --- they do not lay eggs, but give birth to live young. Females incubate developing snakes in their belly for two to three months in late spring through early summer. A female garter snake can give birth to as many as 80 snakes at once --- the larger the female, the larger the clutch of baby snakes. After the snakes are born, the mother leaves them alone and the babies are left to fend for themselves in the wild. The average life span of garter snakes is around two years in the wild, but they can easily live between six to 10 years in captivity.
Behavior
Like all reptiles, garter snakes are exothermic and require an external heat source to warm their body temperature. Garter snakes are commonly found basking on rocks during the morning in Michigan to heat their body before hunting for food. In the winter, garter snakes follow the scent of other garter snakes to undergound holes where large numbers of snakes gather to keep each other warm while they hibernate for winter. Hundreds of snakes often nest together in large dens in Michigan.