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Making America's Best Idea Even Better
Yellowstone National ParkJuvenile Bighorn Sheep casually amble along a precipice near Tower Falls.
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Yellowstone National Park
Valley Garter Snake
Valley Garter Snake

Photo courtesy of Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife

Scientific name: Thamnophis sirtalis fitchi

Identification
  • Subspecies of the common garter snake.
  • Medium sized snake reaching total length of up to 34 inches.
  • Nearly black background color with three bright longitudinal stripes running the length of the body; underside is pale yellow or bluish gray.
  • Most distinguishing characteristics of this subspecies in this region are the irregular red spots along the sides.
Habitat
  • Thought to be common in the past, now in decline for no apparent reason.
  • Closely associated with permanent surface water.
  • In Yellowstone, observed only in the Falls River drainage in the Bechler region and there miles south of the south entrance along the snake river.
Behavior
  • Generally active during the day.
  • In the Yellowstone area, it eats mostly toads, chorus frogs, fish remains, and earthworms; Also can eat relatively poisonous species.
  • Predators include fish, birds, and carnivorous mammals.
Fire in Yellowstone Pineland in 1988  

Did You Know?
The 1988 fires affected 793,880 acres or 36 percent of the park. Five fires burned into the park that year from adjacent public lands. The largest, the North Fork Fire, started from a discarded cigarette. It burned more than 410,000 acres.

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Last Updated: June 11, 2009 at 10:22 EST