Woodpile Sketches - Common Garter Snake

The common garter snake. Next to mice, this is probably the most plentiful creature in the woodpile. It uses its tongue to smell and, because of its small size (it rarely gets more than two or three feet long), it can squeeze into the small spaces where it finds one of its favorite foods, baby mice.

The garter snake isn't picky though, and will eat nearly anything else (alive) that is small enough for it to swallow, including worms and bugs.

Garter snakes are "duirnal." That means they are most active during the day. In winter, the snakes hibernate together in a snake den, which might have dozens of snakes squirming together, all trying to keep warm.

In the springtime, the snakes mate and a female garter snake will give birth to 12-40 live snakes. Gartner snakes do not lay eggs, like some other snakes do.

Garter snakes are eaten by many other creatures, including larger snakes, hawks, skunks and foxes. Young garter snakes might even be eaten by bullfrogs. One of the defenses of a garter snake is to emit a stinky, oily fluid, which probably makes it taste mighty bad.

Most garter snakes are pretty harmless and easy to catch, but some may bite if threatened. Their saliva is toxic, but for most people (or dogs!) this will only create a minor rash or swelling.