Garter Snake
Common Name:
Garter Snake
Scientific Name:
Thamnophis sirtalis
IUCN Status:
Least Concern
Risks: Risks to garter snakes include habitat loss and pesticide use.
Diet: Diet includes cold blooded animals such as frogs, toads or earthworms.
Height: Length ranges in size from 46 to 137 cm.
Weight: Average weight is 150 g.
Lifespan: Lifespan is 2 years in the wild and 6 to 10 years in a zoo.
Fun Facts
- Females are larger than the males and have shorter tails.
- Garter snakes are thin-bodied, small-headed snakes perfect for gliding quickly through underbrush, grasses, reeds and shallow water.
- They are highly variable in their colouration but usually have three light stripes that run the length of the body with various shades of black, grey, brown, or olive as background colour.
- They range throughout North America on the Great Plains from the Oklahoma panhandle, northern Texas and New Mexico up to southern Canada, from Quebec west to British Columbia.
About Us
Find the garter snakes at the Affinity Learning Centre, or get up-close and personal with these animal ambassadors through one of the Saskatoon Zoo Society's EdZOOcational programs.