Sierra garter snake
Appearance
Sierra garter snake | |
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Thamnophis couchii being handled by a naturalist on the banks of the Middle Tuolumne River in the Sierra Nevada. | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Squamata |
Suborder: | Serpentes |
Family: | Colubridae |
Genus: | Thamnophis |
Species: | T. couchii
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Binomial name | |
Thamnophis couchii (Kennicott, 1859)
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Synonyms[2] | |
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Thamnophis couchii, commonly known as Couch's garter snake, the Sierra garter snake, or the western aquatic garter snake, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to the western United States.
Etymology
[edit]The specific name couchii is in honor of Darius Nash Couch, who was a U.S. Army officer and a naturalist.[3]
Geographic range
[edit]T. couchii is native to California and Oregon in the United States.[2]
Habitat
[edit]The preferred natural habitats of T. couchii are freshwater wetlands and permanent or temporary bodies of water in grassland, shrubland, and forest.[1]
Behavior
[edit]T. couchii is highly aquatic.[1]
Reproduction
[edit]T. couchii is viviparous.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Hammerson, G.A. (2007). "Thamnophis couchii ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2007: e.T63974A12732544. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2007.RLTS.T63974A12732544.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ^ a b c Species Thamnophis couchii at The Reptile Database
- ^ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5 (Thamnophis couchii, p. 60).
Further reading
[edit]- Behler, John L.; King, F. Wayne (1979). The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 743 pp., 657 color plates. ISBN 0-394-50824-6. (Thamnophis couchi, pp. 664–666).
- Kennicott, Robert (1859). "Eutaenia couchii ". pp. 10–11. In: Baird SF (1859). "No. 4. Report on the Reptiles Collected on the Survey". pp. 9-13 + Plates XI, XXVIII, XXX, XLIV. In: Williamson RS, Abbot HL (1859). ("1855"). Report upon Explorations for a Railroad Route from the Sacramento Valley to the Columbia River. Part IV. Zoological Report. Washington, District of Columbia: United States War Department. (Eutaenia couchii, new species).
- Smith, Hobart M.; Brodie, Edmund D. Jr. (1982). Reptiles of North America: A Guide to Field Identification. New York: Golden Press. 240 pp. ISBN 0-307-13666-3 (paperback), ISBN 0-307-47009-1 (hardcover). (Thamnophis couchi, pp. 150–151).
- Stebbins, Robert C. (2003). A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians, Third Edition. The Peterson Field Guide Series ®. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin. xiii + 533 pp., 56 color plates, 204 maps. (Thamnophis couchii, p. 381-382, Figure 27 + Plate 49 + Map 167).