Mystery Snake from urban San Diego County

Dedicated exclusively to field herping.

Moderator: Scott Waters

Post Reply
User avatar
Fieldnotes
Posts: 1474
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 6:12 pm
Location: Anaheim, California
Contact:

Mystery Snake from urban San Diego County

Post by Fieldnotes »

Anyone know what this snake is? Location will be kept secret for now, so not to cause bias
Image
ackee
Posts: 39
Joined: March 18th, 2015, 8:06 pm

Re: Mystery Snake

Post by ackee »

Garter Snake?
User avatar
Kelly Mc
Posts: 4529
Joined: October 18th, 2011, 1:03 pm

Re: Mystery Snake

Post by Kelly Mc »

Is it a grass snake?
Jimi
Posts: 1955
Joined: December 3rd, 2010, 12:06 pm

Re: Mystery Snake

Post by Jimi »

Some wandering garter snakes (T. e. vagrans) look an awful lot like that. It's an extremely variable snake though. And some other snakes come in earth tones, have blotches, etc...ha ha.

What's the context?

cheers
User avatar
Fieldnotes
Posts: 1474
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 6:12 pm
Location: Anaheim, California
Contact:

Re: Mystery Snake

Post by Fieldnotes »

I'm thinking its a checker-patterened Eastern Garter Snake. Lets give it another day or so for others to guess, then I'll post the3 location, which will only make this mystery snake harder to identify.
User avatar
Jeremy Wright
Posts: 144
Joined: December 14th, 2015, 4:56 pm

Re: Mystery Snake

Post by Jeremy Wright »

It looks like some of the Two Stripe / Hammonds Garter snakes I've seen if this sighting was in Socal...
User avatar
Kelly Mc
Posts: 4529
Joined: October 18th, 2011, 1:03 pm

Re: Mystery Snake

Post by Kelly Mc »

Yeah its a checkery guy. Natrix mostly dabbed in a distal way but the blade of grass covering the neck made me think hmm
User avatar
Brian Hubbs
Posts: 4735
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 11:41 am
Location: "Buy My Books"-land

Re: Mystery Snake

Post by Brian Hubbs »

Eastern Garter
User avatar
rpecora
Posts: 579
Joined: June 10th, 2010, 4:41 pm

Re: Mystery Snake

Post by rpecora »

Checkered Garter
User avatar
Fieldnotes
Posts: 1474
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 6:12 pm
Location: Anaheim, California
Contact:

Re: Mystery Snake

Post by Fieldnotes »

This snake is from a residential neighborhood in San Diego.

Jeremey could you posts those Two-stripe Garters snakes, espically if they have a middorsal stripe, like this one seems to have descending down the lateral portion of the body.
Eimon
Posts: 70
Joined: June 8th, 2010, 11:44 am
Location: So Cal
Contact:

Re: Mystery Snake

Post by Eimon »

Looks almost exactly like this.....................but this is a Wandering from upper-middle Utah! :)

Image
ackee
Posts: 39
Joined: March 18th, 2015, 8:06 pm

Re: Mystery Snake

Post by ackee »

I've seen nearly identical checker patterned eastern Garter Snakes in central and south NJ. Not often, but every now and then.
User avatar
Jeremy Wright
Posts: 144
Joined: December 14th, 2015, 4:56 pm

Re: Mystery Snake

Post by Jeremy Wright »

Fieldnotes wrote:This snake is from a residential neighborhood in San Diego.

Jeremey could you posts those Two-stripe Garters snakes, espically if they have a middorsal stripe, like this one seems to have descending down the lateral portion of the body.
Sure! I'll have to dig back a while, it's been a few years, but I'll be happy to post them on here or pm them to you.
-Jeremy
User avatar
Jeremy Wright
Posts: 144
Joined: December 14th, 2015, 4:56 pm

Re: Mystery Snake

Post by Jeremy Wright »

I'm not sure I have any with a middorsal stripe, but the pattern and color is similar. I'll get them up asap.
User avatar
Fieldnotes
Posts: 1474
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 6:12 pm
Location: Anaheim, California
Contact:

Re: Mystery Snake from urban San Diego County

Post by Fieldnotes »

Eimen, I agree it looks a lot like a Wandering Garter
User avatar
Brian Hubbs
Posts: 4735
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 11:41 am
Location: "Buy My Books"-land

Re: Mystery Snake from urban San Diego County

Post by Brian Hubbs »

It's a terrible picture...that's what it is...
User avatar
Kelly Mc
Posts: 4529
Joined: October 18th, 2011, 1:03 pm

Re: Mystery Snake from urban San Diego County

Post by Kelly Mc »

No excuse for the limb I fell off of though :lol:
User avatar
Jeremy Wright
Posts: 144
Joined: December 14th, 2015, 4:56 pm

Re: Mystery Snake from urban San Diego County

Post by Jeremy Wright »

Imagestrange by Jeremy Wright Photography, on Flickr

Apologies for the terrible photo, but here is a Hammonds garter I saw with a friend years ago in the San Gabriels. All I had was a cell phone, and I know this photo doesn't show it well, but I do remember it having a very checkered pattern. I'm still looking for other shots I have of other individuals.

-Jeremy
User avatar
Jeremy Wright
Posts: 144
Joined: December 14th, 2015, 4:56 pm

Re: Mystery Snake from urban San Diego County

Post by Jeremy Wright »

That photo also has a bit of blue distortion. The snake was more brown and yellow, not so much black and blue.
User avatar
SurfinHerp
Posts: 653
Joined: October 18th, 2010, 8:55 pm
Location: San Diego, CA
Contact:

Re: Mystery Snake from urban San Diego County

Post by SurfinHerp »

I think the mystery snake is just a nice-looking two-striped gartersnake.
It also appears that the cat may have dragged it out of a nearby canyon and back to its home with a grassy lawn. That wouldn't be too surprising to me.

Jeff
Jimi
Posts: 1955
Joined: December 3rd, 2010, 12:06 pm

Re: Mystery Snake from urban San Diego County

Post by Jimi »

I think the mystery snake is just a nice-looking two-striped gartersnake.
Agreed, now that we know it's in San Diego. Could have been a lot of things. Most of those things fall far away in likelihood, now there's some geographical context. Not likely a Natrix, a Rhabdophis, etc. Could still be an escaped pet garter from somewhere - near or far - east of SD. That isn't too unlikely. But I think native is more probable.

It could be interesting, regardless, to know more precisely where the snake was taken. (And, is the corpse available for museum deposition?) My impression is that 2-stripes aren't exactly booming within the human footprint, the more so the further west one goes. Did it come from nearby one of the bigger, more-eastern preserves like Mission Trails or the "new" FWS Refuge along the Sweetwater?

Looks like the coyotes are slacking on the job...
User avatar
Brian Hubbs
Posts: 4735
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 11:41 am
Location: "Buy My Books"-land

Re: Mystery Snake from urban San Diego County

Post by Brian Hubbs »

Well, just to be a contrary person, I do NOT think that's a two-stripe. I've never seen a blotched two-stripe in SD or anywhere near SD. I still say it's an Eastern garter that escaped from someone. And i don't think we can really pinpoint what it is by that photo.

THIS is what SD 2-stripes look like...

Image
User avatar
blacktara
Posts: 81
Joined: August 16th, 2013, 3:43 pm
Location: SW Oklahoma

Re: Mystery Snake from urban San Diego County

Post by blacktara »

Looks like a cat snake
User avatar
rpecora
Posts: 579
Joined: June 10th, 2010, 4:41 pm

Re: Mystery Snake from urban San Diego County

Post by rpecora »

Checkered Gartersnake, a bit out of it's range, but a heck of a lot closer than a wandering. It could, but I've yet to see one with a dorsal stripe, be a Two-Striped.

I've seen hundreds of Eastern Garter's and that ain't no Eastern.
craigb
Posts: 638
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 6:02 am
Location: Southern Cal.
Contact:

Re: Mystery Snake from urban San Diego County

Post by craigb »

How about this one. It was found considerably further north in British Columbia.

I Id'd it as a wandering...

Image

By the way I found a two striped garter out at the old place near Palm Springs that was a trout farm, it was two -three years ago.
User avatar
rpecora
Posts: 579
Joined: June 10th, 2010, 4:41 pm

Re: Mystery Snake from urban San Diego County

Post by rpecora »

craigb wrote:How about this one. It was found considerably further north in British Columbia.

I Id'd it as a wandering...

Image

By the way I found a two striped garter out at the old place near Palm Springs that was a trout farm, it was two -three years ago.
Well within it's range. Wandering Garter's do exist in BC.
User avatar
SurfinHerp
Posts: 653
Joined: October 18th, 2010, 8:55 pm
Location: San Diego, CA
Contact:

Re: Mystery Snake from urban San Diego County

Post by SurfinHerp »

Here's a two-striped gartersnake from SD County that looks similar to the mystery snake....

Image
ackee
Posts: 39
Joined: March 18th, 2015, 8:06 pm

Re: Mystery Snake from urban San Diego County

Post by ackee »

Checkered Eastern Garter Snakes are regularly encountered (mid-Atlantic states) in this area. I know what I've seen. www.paherps.com/herps/snakes/garter_snake/
User avatar
Porter
Posts: 2418
Joined: March 19th, 2011, 7:43 pm

Re: Mystery Snake from urban San Diego County

Post by Porter »

San diego phase mountain garter snake!
ackee
Posts: 39
Joined: March 18th, 2015, 8:06 pm

Re: Mystery Snake from urban San Diego County

Post by ackee »

User avatar
Brian Hubbs
Posts: 4735
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 11:41 am
Location: "Buy My Books"-land

Re: Mystery Snake from urban San Diego County

Post by Brian Hubbs »

SurfinHerp wrote:Here's a two-striped gartersnake from SD County that looks similar to the mystery snake....

Image
No offense, but that isn't even close to the original photo. You know, it might be an Oregon garter.
mark buck
Posts: 102
Joined: March 30th, 2015, 11:01 am
Location: Bakersfield, CA

Re: Mystery Snake from urban San Diego County

Post by mark buck »

My votes Eastern Garter, escaped pet.
Post Reply