Maritime Garter Snake

If you have ever seen a large brown snake, it was probably a Garter Snake. Their colour can vary a lot, from brown to grey or yellowish, with a lighter stripe or row of spots along the sides. The striped pattern on these snakes looks like the pattern on garters once worn by men, to hold up their socks. A few are just about all black. Garters are widespread in Nova Scotia, including some of the larger coastal islands such as Big and Little Tancook off Mahone Bay, and Georges Island in Halifax Harbour. They are our largest snake species.

Garter Snakes come out of winter hibernation in May. They are common near pond and lake shores, as well as woodlands, rocky roadsides, farmlands, gravel pits and abandoned buildings. Daytime is their active period. You may see the same snake each sunny day basking in a warm spot. Garters are excellent swimmers too, moving over the surface of the water with an undulating motion. Some people call them water snakes. They eat a variety of small animals such as salamanders, fishes, frogs, worms and mice.

The babies are born alive in late summer, from 6 to 40 in a family. Baby Garter Snakes are greenish-grey, with no visible markings, and about 10 cm long. They look like smooth grey worms with eyeballs. Garter Snakes have teeth (but no fangs or poison), and do tend to bite you when first picked up. The bite is more surprising than it is painful - just a small puncture. They also produce a smelly fluid intended to make you let them go.

If a Garter Snake eats well in captivity, it can be kept as a pet for a short time.