Teddy (Theodore)

 Sweet little Teddy here is known as an eastern ribbon snake (Thamnophis sauritta) commonly mistaken for Thamnophis sirtalis, eastern garter snake. Teddy was found by the river side on a hill slithering away under bushes but was spotted by me, Kim, and caught by Chad. Surprisingly he was fairly calm and allowed us to pass him around for everyone to hold. 

Teddy and many other ribbon snakes are considerably small snakes with a growth around 18-26 inches as an adult. Eastern ribbon snakes are typically slender with long tail that is slightly less than 1/3rd of its total length. Like Teddy, and most ribbon snakes, they have 3 lateral strips down its back to its tail. However, some are able to have 4 lateral rows and the plain uniform yellow belly all are common characteristics of eastern ribbon snake.

Geographic range: 

Eastern ribbon snakes can be found throughout the Eastern north America aswell as the east of the Mississippi river, Maine, Ontario, Michigan, South-East Louisiana, Gulf states, aswell as across the eastern sea board. 

                                                            

Habitat:

-Streams

-Ditches

-Lakes

-Ponds

-Cattle Tanks 

Reproduction:

Typically ribbon snakes mate in the spring right after emerging from hibernation. The males tend to seek out females in attempt for mating. The offspring tend to grow fast and are considered mature by the second year and dont reproduce until their third year (females). Ribbon snakes litter ranges from 4-27 youngs but most have around 12+-. And have a life span of about 10 ish years if they live pass their first year. 

Reflection:

Personally, Teddy is a perfect beginner snake for those who are scared of snakes. He is calm and friendly so for someone who has no experience of holding snakes, Teddy is the first good candidate unlike his buddy we found 20-30 minutes prior. Due to this class I now have a better understanding of snakes and can differentiate more species than I could have before starting the class allowing these field trips to be more fun and interactive. 

Work Cited:

AnimalDiversity.org