Two-striped Garter Snake

Fascinating facts about the Two-striped Garter Snake

• At just 18–30 inches long (46–76 cm), this medium-sized snake fits on a ruler, yet its head is barely wider than its neck, giving it a sleek, streamlined look.
• Its range extends from central California to Baja California, Mexico, across western North America.
• Unlike most snakes that linger on land, it lives almost entirely in water, choosing spots next to permanent or semi-permanent ponds and streams where it can glide through the shallows.
• Its menu reads like a fisherman's catch: primarily small fish and amphibians, which it snaps up with quick strikes from just beneath the surface.
• Instead of laying eggs, the females give birth to live young, a reproductive style called ovoviviparity that lets the embryos develop safely inside the mother’s body.

At a glance

About the Two-striped Garter Snake

The two-striped garter snake, Thamnophis hammondii, is a medium-sized aquatic colubrid measuring 18–30 in (46–76 cm) in total length, with a head barely broader than its neck. In the wild it displays two color morphs: a striped variant with a yellowish lateral stripe on each side and a relatively uniform dorsal hue, and a checkered variant lacking the stripes but marked by two rows of small dark spots per side. It inhabits western North America from central California to Baja California, Mexico, favoring habitats adjacent to permanent or semi-permanent bodies of water. Its diet consists primarily of fishes and amphibians, and it is ovoviviparous.

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