found a big garter snake

[Galapoheros]

I found this Checkered Garter snake(Thamnophis cyrtopsis ocellatus) in my front yard today, my favorite kind of garter. This is a really big one.

 

[ThomasH]

Damn! Hell yeah it is, beautiful specimen.

TBH

 

[Widowman10]

wow! that's a biggun! nice find, beautiful pattern.

 

[skilletsteve]

I gotta ask - did you get musked?

 

[ZergFront]

WAH, big garter! The one my Dad brought home for me was about 1/3 that size!

Aren't garter snakes one of those animals where the female is bigger? :?

 

[pwilson5]

I gotta ask - did you get musked?

thats what i was about to ask... i ALWAYS got musked when i caught them

 

[Spidercrazy]

WAH, big garter! The one my Dad brought home for me was about 1/3 that size!

Aren't garter snakes one of those animals where the female is bigger? :?

I believe you are right there sir

 

[PrimalTaunt]

Great find, that is an amazing pattern to it.

 

[Galapoheros]

Oh yeah! ..I got musked up real fast, hands and clothes. Kind of hangs around. I installed new toilets too so it was a smelly day.

 

[SNAFU]

Oh yeah! ..I got musked up real fast, hands and clothes. Kind of hangs around. I installed new toilets too so it was a smelly day.

LOL!
Beauty of a garter, and right in your yard. Some people have all the luck!
I ran across a big rat snake last weekend hunting for scorps but she was too fast for me to catch.

 

[H. laoticus]

crap, that is a pretty big one. Congrats, sweet colors and patterns too.

 

[pitbulllady]

She is HUGE! I'd sure love to have a pair of those, but for some reason you seldom see anyone breeding this particular Garter species.

I've always heard these called "Eastern Black-Necked Garters", though, rather than "Checkered Garters". They sorta leave our checkered morph Eastern Garters in the dust as far as looks go.

pitbulllady

 

[Shrike]

That is one big, beautiful garter. Nice find!

 

[pwilson5]

makes me miss my Garter.. WC Female that had babies

 

[loxoscelesfear]

badass. it's a blacknecked garter. checkered's are Thamnophis marcianus.

 

[GartenSpinnen]

Wow! Nice looking garter! I definitely love my garter snakes; unfortunately you just don't seem them around here like you used to. That is probably one of the biggest I had ever seen. I guess everything really is bigger in TX

 

[xhexdx]

I havent seen any around here in the last few years, either.

Beautiful snake.

 

[ThomasH]

I definitely love my garter snakes; unfortunately you just don't seem them around here like you used to.

Yeah, I've noticed the same actually, when I was little, I remember being able to find at least one [usually a handful of all sizes] every time I looked in a compost pile or flipping logs near a creek bed. Now it's a surprise to find one measley little male.

TBH

 

[Exo]

My yard is full of the things, we have two dens in the backyard. Unfortunately, they aren't nearly as colorful as that one.

 

[zonbonzovi]

That is a beast! It reminds me of some of the monsters we found at the bugguide gathering last year. Not checkered, though. These were variously striped red, white, greenish & bluish.