Ribbon snake

Ribbon snake
Eastern ribbon snake (Thamnophis sauritus sauritus)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Reptilia
Order:Squamata
Suborder:Serpentes
Family:Colubridae
Genus:Thamnophis
Species: T. sauritus
Binomial name
Thamnophis sauritus
(Linnaeus, 1766)[1]
Subspecies

4, see text

Synonyms

The ribbon snake (Thamnophis sauritus) is a common species of garter snake endemic to eastern North America. It averages 16–35 in (41–89 cm) in length and is a member of the genus Thamnophis.[4]

Subspecies

The four recognized subspecies of ribbon snake are:

  • Eastern ribbon snake – T. s. sauritus - brownish back, ranges from New York to Florida, west to the Mississippi River
  • Northern ribbon snake – T. s. septentrionalis - dark brown or black above, ranges from Maine through Ontario and Indiana
  • Southern ribbon snake or Peninsula ribbon snake – T. s. sackeni - tan or brown, ranges from South Carolina south through Florida
  • Bluestripe ribbon snake – T. s. nitae - dark with light blue lateral stripes, Gulf Coast of north-central Florida

Captivity

Ribbon snakes are also common pets. A single snake can fit in a 10-gallon terrarium. They are also very docile.

Food

The ribbon snake has a diverse diet consisting of worms, slugs, meal worms and other insects, frogs, toads, and minnows.

References

  1. ↑ Thamnophis sauritus, Reptile Database
  2. ↑ Boulenger, G.A. (1893). Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume I., Containing the Families...Colubridæ Aglyphæ, part... Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). London. xiii + 448 pp. + Plates I. - XXVIII. (Tropidonotus saurita, pp. 212-214.)
  3. ↑ Ruthven, A.G. (1908). Variations and Genetic Relationships of the Garter-snakes. Bull. US Nat. Mus., 61: 1-201, 82 figures.
  4. ↑ Conant, R. (1975). A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Edition. Houghton Mifflin. Boston. xviii + 429 pp. (Thamnophis sauritus, pp. 164-165, Plate 23, Map 119.)


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