Pacific Northwest
Reptiles & Amphibians
Click on a picture for a larger view
Common Gartersnake - Thamnophis sirtalis
Valley Gartersnake - Thamnophis sirtalis fitchi
Fox, 1951
Orange = range of T. s. fitchi
Click map to enlarge and see key to other subspecies
Related or Similar Northwest Snakes:
Puget Sound Gartersnake
Red-spotted Gartersnake
Wandering Gartersnake
Northwestern Gartersnake
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| Adult, Klickitat County, Washington | ||
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| Adult, Klickitat County, Washington | ||
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| Adult, Klickitat County, Washington | Adult, Klickitat County, Washington | Adult, Klickitat County, Washington |
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| Juvenile, Kittitas County, Washington | Adult with considerable red coloring on the side of the head, Skagit County, Washington © Zachary Lim | In some areas, Valley Gartersnakes overwinter in large groups. Here you can see a mass emergence of Valley Gartersnakes and Wandering Gartersnakes in early May, Lincoln County, Wyoming. © Leslie Schreiber |
| Common Gartersnakes from the large intergrade area on the Olympic Peninsula and south where there are influences from T. s. concinnus, T. s. fitchi, and T. s. pickeringii |
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| Adult from the northern Olympic Peninsula in Clallam County, Washington, that shows influence of T. s. fitchi as well as the red on the head found on T. s. concinnus © Mario Ramos |
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| This adult Common Gartersnake from the Lake Quinalt area in Grays Harbor, Washington shows a lot of influence from T. s. concinnus © Mario Ramos |
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| This Common Gartersnake was found at a location in Pacific County, Washington, which is shown in field guides as an intergrade zone with the Puget Sound Gartersnake, T. s. pickeringii and possibly with the Valley Gartersnake, T. s. fitchi, which it mostly resembles. |
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| Looking at the top of the heads can help to identify these sympatric species: T. sirtalis - Common Gartersnake (Left) has a larger longer head with bigger eyes than T. ordinoides - Northwestern Gartersnake (Right.) © Filip Tkaczyk |
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| Habitat | ||
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| Snake in habitat, 4,100 ft., Kittitas County, Washington |
Snake in habitat, Klickitat County, Washington |
Habitat, Klickitat County, Washington |
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| Habitat, Kittitas County, Washington |
Habitat, Klickitat County, Washington | Habitat, Pacific County, Washington |
| Short Video | ||
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| A Valley Gartersnake is discovered resting in the sun near the edge of a mountain pond which is still half-surrounded by snow. When I get too close, the snake races off, showing the speed with which this gartersnake can crawl and swim to safety. | ||
Northwest Reptiles and Amphibians
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