Thamnophis marcianus
Silhouette: Alex Slavenko · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The checkered garter snake (Thamnophis marcianus) is a species of garter snake in the subfamily Natricinae of the family Colubridae. The species is native to the southwestern United States, Mexico, and Central America. There are two recognized subspecies.
The specific epithet marcianus is in honor of American Brigadier General Randolph B. Marcy, who led surveying expeditions to the frontier areas in the mid-19th century. The checkered garter snake is typically greenish in color, with a distinct, black checkerboard pattern down its back. It is capable of growing to a total length (tail included) of 42 inches (107 cm), but is usually 18 to 24 inches (46 to 61 cm).
The preferred natural habitats of Thamnophis marcianus are desert, grassland, shrubland, and forest, usually close to water, at altitudes from sea level to 2,200 m (7,200 ft). The diet of Thamnophis marcianus includes small frogs, toads, small fish, and earthworms. If kept as a pet, it can be trained on live or freeze-thawed mice, but even so, it is a fussy eater and can suddenly start to refuse mice at any point.
Unlike most garter snakes, the checkered... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Padre Island National Seashore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Antonio | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Monterrey | 🇲🇽 México |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phoenix Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Silesian Zoological Garden | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 3 | Warsaw Zoo | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 4 | Wrocław Zoological Garden | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 5 | Parque museo La Venta | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 6 | Africarium | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 7 | Children's Aquarium at Fair Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | herpetarium warszawskiego ZOO | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 9 | hipopotamiarnia i akwarium morskie warszawskiego ZOO | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 10 | terrarium ogrodu zoologicznego we Wrocławiu | 🇵🇱 Poland |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Checkered Garter Snake sighting in Austin on a given day, based on 115 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 17th most-seen of the 37 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January and March–November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Checkered Garter Snake in Austin on a given day, against under 5% in February and December, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Checkered Garter Snake sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
Among the best
Of the 3 cities where we can rate Checkered Garter Snake sightings, Austin ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in San Antonio (United States, about 10%).
Same genus: Thamnophis
The closest relatives of the Checkered Garter Snake that you can see in Austin (genus Thamnophis, Garter Snakes) are Western Ribbon Snake (about 10%) and Black-necked Gartersnake (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Checkered Garter Snake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Austin (115 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
