California red-sided garter snake

Thamnophis sirtalis infernalis features a basic pattern of three stripes including yellow or blue stripes over a primarily red body, with a row of black spots or blotches appearing in a stripe like pattern with the ground color of the snake being dark olive to black. The underside is bluish gray, sometimes with dark markings. The subspecies features an orange or red head, and can vary significantly in appearance based on the geographical location of the snake. The California red-sided garter snake is a slender snake that is smaller and lighter than the San Francisco garter snake. Females typically reach 90–100 cm (35-39 inches) while males typically reach 65-75 centimeters (25–29.5), and are markedly thinner than females. While the recorded maximum size for T. sirtalis as a species is 137 cm (53.9 inches), it is uncommon to find a female T. s. infernalis over 100 cm (39.5 inches). This species has a lifespan of around 12 years. Taxonomy There is some confusion regarding the subspecific name of T. s. infernalis. Boundy and Rossman (1995) and a neotype for T. s. infernalis was designated to conserve the traditional subspecies taxonomy. ==Distribution and habitat==

Thamnophis sirtalis infernalis occurs throughout California and is found primarily in coastal dunes and marshes. The distribution is disjunct, as it is found ranging from coastal Humboldt County to coastal Monterey County, and is found in conjunction with some San Francisco garter snakes. However, T. s. infernalis was primarily replaced by another subspecies of the common garter snake, the valley garter snake (T. s. fitchi), in southern Monterey, meaning that they are absent from Monterey to Santa Barbara, but present from Santa Barbara to San Diego County. The subspecies was listed as endangered in the U.S. Endangered Species Act (USESA) of 1967, and listed as declining by the United States Fish and Wildlife Services in 1990. Thamnophis sirtalis infernalis is typically associated with permanent or near-permanent bodies of water such as marshland, shallow water, and dunes. The sag ponds in the San Andreas Fault rift zone and freshwater coastal marshes are their primary habitat. T. s. infernalis also temporarily occurs in grassland and some woodland. == Behavior ==

The species T. sirtalis is capable of activity at lower temperatures than other species of North American snake. During this time, the snakes are cold, relatively inactive, and weak. == Reproduction ==

Thamnophis sirtalis infernalis is a viviparous snake, and they mate in the late winter to early spring. Live young are born in the mid-summer to early fall and are typically 12-20 centimeters (5-8 inches) in length. Clutch sizes vary, but typically vary from 8 to 20 young. Like the red-spotted garter snake (T. s. concinnus), juvenile T. s. infernalis are born with faint colors, which grow increasingly brighter as the snake matures and sheds. Most juveniles are born yellow and become successively more blue as the snake matures and sheds. Male red-sided garter snakes emerge from winter dormancy and immediately exhibit intense breeding activity that can last as long as 4 to 6 weeks. At emergence, the testes are completely regressed and do not initiate recrudescence until the breeding season has ended. The initiation of sexual behavior in the red-sided garter snake requires a prolonged period of low temperature dormancy followed by exposure to warm temperatures. The intensity at which males exhibit courtship behavior appears to be directly correlated with the length of time males remain in low temperature dormancy. == Diet ==

The California red-sided garter snake is carnivorous - its diverse diet consists of frogs, newts, larvae, fish, birds, and their eggs, small rodents, reptiles, earthworms, slugs, and leeches. This species is able to eat adult Pacific Newts (genus Taricha) which are deadly poisonous to most predators. == References ==