Home/Species/ Plains Gartersnake

Thamnophis radix

(Baird and Girard, 1853)

Plains Gartersnake

G5Secure Found in 4 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →

G5SecureGlobal Rank

Least concernIUCN

LowThreat Impact

Identity

Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.104972

Element CodeARADB36100

Record TypeSPECIES

ClassificationSpecies

Classification StatusStandard

Name CategoryVertebrate Animal

IUCNLeast concern

Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations

KingdomAnimalia

PhylumCraniata

ClassReptilia

OrderSquamata

FamilyColubridae

GenusThamnophis

Other Common Names

Couleuvre des plaines (FR) plains gartersnake (EN) Plains Garter Snake (EN)

Concept Reference

Rossman, D. A., N. B. Ford, and R. A. Seigel. 1996. The garter snakes: evolution and ecology. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman. xx + 332 pp.

Taxonomic Comments

No subspecies are recognized (Rossman et al. 1996, Walley et al. 2003, Crother et al. 2008, 2017).

Conservation Status

Rank MethodExpertise without calculation

Review Date2016-02-02

Change Date1996-10-30

Edition Date2006-09-07

Edition AuthorsHammerson, G.

Threat ImpactLow

Range Extent200,000 to >2,500,000 square km (about 80,000 to >1,000,000 square miles)

Number of Occurrences81 to >300

Range Extent Comments

The range extends from southern Alberta, Montana, eastern Wyoming, eastern Colorado and northeastern New Mexico eastward through southern Manitoba, Minnesota, southern Wisconsin and northern and central Illinois to northwestern Indiana and disjunctly to central Ohio, southward to northern Texas, western Oklahoma, and northern half of Missouri, at elevations of 120-2,290 meters (400-7,500 feet) but usually below 1,830 meters (6,000 feet) (Rossman et al. 1996, Hammerson 1999, Ernst and Ernst 2003, Stebbins 2003, Walley et al. 2003).

Occurrences Comments

This species is represented by a very large number of occurrences (subpopulations) (Walley et al. 2003).

Threat Impact Comments

No major threats are known. This species tolerates a good deal of habitat alteration. Many are killed on roads or by mowing equipment, but this does not constitute a major threat.

Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

This snake often occurs in the vicinity of ponds, sloughs, marshes, lakes, or slow creeks or rivers, generally in prairie and farmland areas but also in the pinyon-juniper zone; it often disperses into adjacent terrestrial habitats, such as vacant lots, residential areas, old dumps, or prairie (Rossman et al. 1996, Hammerson 1999, Ernst and Ernst 2003, Stebbins 2003). Hibernation sites incude burrows of rodents or crayfish, crevices, anthills, old wells, spaces under concrete, and other similar sites; some may hibernate underwater.

Ecology

Population density estimates in different areas range from about 50 to several hundred per ha. In northern Illinois, density was estimated at 40 or 107 adults per hectare, depending on the method used (Stanford and King 2004).

In northern Illinois, adult females had a higher annual survival rate than did adult males (0.45 vs 0.35) (Stanford and King 2004).

Reproduction

Gives birth to litter of 5-92 (usually fewer than 40), July-September; average litter size increases with female age/size (Stanford and King 2004); most become sexually mature at two years of age (Fitch 1970, Stanford and King 2004). In Illinois, most individuals lived not more than 6-7 years (Stanford and King 2004).

Terrestrial Habitats

Grassland/herbaceousCropland/hedgerowSuburban/orchard

Palustrine Habitats

TEMPORARY POOLHERBACEOUS WETLANDSCRUB-SHRUB WETLANDBog/fenRiparian

Other Nations (2)

United StatesN5

Province	Rank	Native
New Mexico	S3	Yes
Montana	S5	Yes
Wyoming	S5	Yes
Oklahoma	S3	Yes
Wisconsin	S2	Yes
Missouri	S4	Yes
Colorado	S5	Yes
Iowa	S5	Yes
Texas	S1	Yes
Nebraska	S5	Yes
Ohio	S1	Yes
South Dakota	S5	Yes
Illinois	S5	Yes
Indiana	S3	Yes
Kansas	S5	Yes
Minnesota	S5	Yes
North Dakota	SNR	Yes

CanadaN5

Province	Rank	Native
Saskatchewan	S5	Yes
Alberta	S4	Yes
Manitoba	S4	Yes

Roadless Areas (4)

North Dakota (2)

Area	Forest	Acres
Long X Divide	Dakota Prairie Grasslands	10,099
Sheyenne	Dakota Prairie Grasslands	14,537

South Dakota (2)

Area	Forest	Acres
Cheyenne River	Buffalo Gap National Grassland	7,572
Red Shirt	Buffalo Gap National Grassland	17,007

References (19)

Behler, J. L., and F. W. King. 1979. The Audubon Society field guide to North American reptiles and amphibians. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. 719 pp.
Collins, J. T. 1982. Amphibians and reptiles in Kansas. Second edition. Univ. Kansas Mus. Nat. Hist., Pub. Ed. Ser. 8. xiii + 356 pp.
Collins, J. T. 1990. Standard common and current scientific names for North American amphibians and reptiles. 3rd ed. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles. Herpetological Circular No. 19. 41 pp.
Conant, R., and J. T. Collins. 1998. A field guide to reptiles and amphibians: eastern and central North America. Third edition, expanded. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, Massachusetts. 616 pp.
Crother, B. I. (editor). 2008. Scientific and standard English names of amphibians and reptiles of North America north of Mexico, with comments regarding confidence in our understanding. Sixth edition. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles Herpetological Circular 37:1-84. Online with updates at: http://www.ssarherps.org/pages/comm_names/Index.php
Crother, B. I. (editor). 2012. Scientific and standard English names of amphibians and reptiles of North America north of Mexico, with comments regarding confidence in our understanding. 7th edition. SSAR Herpetological Circular 39:1-92.
Crother, B. I. (editor). 2017. Scientific and standard English names of amphibians and reptiles of North America north of Mexico, with comments regarding confidence in our understanding. 8th edition. SSAR Herpetological Circular 43:1-104. [Updates in SSAR North American Species Names Database at: https://ssarherps.org/cndb]
Fitch, H. S. 1970. Reproductive cycles of lizards and snakes. Univ. Kansas Museum Natural History Miscellaneous Publication 52:1-247.
Hammerson, G. A. 1982b. Amphibians and reptiles in Colorado. Colorado Division of Wildlife, Denver. vii + 131 pp.
Hammerson, G. A. 1999. Amphibians and reptiles in Colorado. Second edition. University Press of Colorado, Boulder. xxvi + 484 pp.
Lawson, R. 1987. Molecular studies of thamnophiine snakes: 1. The phylogeny of the genus Nerodia. J. Herpetology 21:140-157.
Minton, S. A., Jr. 1972. Amphibians and reptiles of Indiana. Indiana Academy Science Monographs 3. v + 346 pp.
Rossman, D. A., N. B. Ford, and R. A. Seigel. 1996. The garter snakes: evolution and ecology. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman. xx + 332 pp.
Stanford, K. M., and R. B. King. 2004. Growth, survival, and reproduction in a northern Illinois population of the plains gartersnake, Thamnophis radix. Copeia 2004:465-478.
Stebbins, R. C. 1985a. A field guide to western reptiles and amphibians. Second edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts. xiv + 336 pp.
Stebbins, R. C. 2003. A field guide to western reptiles and amphibians. Third edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston.
Tennant, A. 1984. The Snakes of Texas. Texas Monthly Press, Austin, Texas. 561 pp.
Vogt, R. C. 1981c. Natural history of amphibians and reptiles of Wisconsin. Milwaukee Public Museum. 205 pp.
Walley, H. D., T. L. Wusterbarth, and K. M. Stanford. 2003. Thamnophis radix. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles 779:1-13.