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What kind of snake is this? Unfortunately it was hit, but it had an orange belly. Saw on Riverdale Road in Ashtabula County. Was curious of the kind, never saw one like this before. Thank you!
What kind of snake is this? Unfortunately it was hit, but it had an orange belly. Saw on Riverdale Road in Ashtabula County. Was curious of the kind, never saw one like this before. Thank you!
This is an Eastern Garter Snake. Often people think of garter snakes having three stripes running down their body, however these snakes may have three bold stripes, or the stripes may be nearly absent (as this snake is demonstrating). These stripes may be yellow, orange, gray, tan, bluish, or greenish. The body color ranges from olive brown to black, and may have a checkerboard pattern (as seen on the front part of this snake) or be solid colored.
In short, the Eastern Garter Snake is not only our most common snake, but also our most variable snake – which equates to it being our most misidentified snake!
-Naturalist Andy Avram
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