Mountain Garter Snake

Types of Snakes Garter Snakes Types of Snakes

Technically, any garter snake living in higher elevations can be called a mountain garter snake.

The species Thamnophis elegans elegans, called the Mountain Garter Snake (Thamnophis elegans elegans), is a native species of the southern Cascades and Sierra Nevada of California.

It is a subspecies of the Western Terrestrial Garter snake, and unlike the more colorful bodies of other T elegans species, the Mountain Garter is characterized by a dark body with three stripes.

They are active during the day, and they can be found in territory without water sources in close proximity.

© 2000 Patricia A. Michaels