MARITIME GARTRR SNAKE 
     
    
   
   
    
     The garter snake's young are born 
     
     alive and, in the case of the Maritime 
     
     Garter Snake, the young are 5 5/16 
     
     inches to 7 1/2 inches (13.5 to 19 
     
     cm.). Usually the litter size is 40 or 
     
     less but they have been known to have 
     
     up to 85. The young are independent at 
     
     birth. Conant and Collins (1991) note 
     
     that adults can reach a length of 36 
     
     inches (almost a meter) when fully 
     
     grown. Cook (1967) cites a report by 
     
     Mellish (1876) in which a specimen of 4 
     
     feet 9 inches (1.44 meters) was 
     
     recorded on P.E.I. 
     
    

    
     Garter snakes are carnivores 
     
     (flesh eaters) and they feed on a wide 
     
     variety of animals including frogs, 
     
     toads, salamanders, fish, tadpoles, 
     
     earthworms, birds eggs, young birds, 
     
     small mammals, and dead animals. The 
     
     backward-pointing needle sharp teeth 
     
     help prevent larger prey from escaping. 
     
    

    
     The typical light lateral stripe 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     on either side of the body is used to (3.931.167‘71 UQTi-Q?i072§ 
     
     distinguish the various species of 
     
     garter snakes. This stripe in the O} GQSECTTZ 337flfi37~ 
     
    
   
   
    
     Maritime Garter Snake can be whitish, 
     
     gray, or tan and it often merges into 
     
     the darker shade below. 
     
    

    
     On the Island, garter snakes can be distinguished by their longitudinal 
     
     stripes that display a wide variety of both colours and stripe patterns. The 
     
     Maritime Garter Snake is a subspecies of the Eastern Garter Snake. Its back 
     
     and side base colouration can range from cinnamon brown to yellowish-olive to 
     
     olive gray. On this coloured base there are alternating rows of blackish or 
     
     dark brownish spots in a checkered pattern. The belly is whitish on the front 
     
     end and runs to dusky grey towards the back end. 
     
    

    
     The Island's garter snakes sometimes use dens or hibernacia, underground 
     
     areas below the frost line where they spend the winter in a resting state. As 
     
     the Island’s habitats do not have many natural piles of broken rock or caves, 
     
     the characteristics of these sites on the Island is worthy of investigation. 
     
     The Society’s spring workshops on amphibians and reptiles led to people 
     
     reporting a number of hibernacia. These included the side of a stream bank in 
     
     Hazelbrook, a sawdust pile near St. Charles, and a variety of Island stone 
     
     basements. Any member who knows of a hibernacia is requested to report its 
     
     location and the type of material it is in to the editor of the Island 
     
     Naturalist. .. 
     
    

    
     Garter snakes usually mate in the early spring after emerging from 
     
     hibernation but mating has been observed in fall as well. The young are born 
     
     in late summer or early fall and they can reach maturity in their second year. 
     
     These snakes usually move into cover very quickly when approached. 
     
     Occasionally, they may hold their ground or even strike. The needle sharp 
     
     teeth of a larger garter snake can pierce unprotected skin quite easily but 
     
     their bite is not poisonous. Some redness and swelling usually accompanies a 
     
     skin penetration as.the teeth carry bacteria. These snakes are on the whole 
     
     beneficial and should be left undisturbed. 
     
    
   
   
    
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