Got my eye on you

Another photo of one of the Red-sided Garter Snakes found in the hibernaculum in a local park. Think I might just have to ask a trusted friend to hold one of these snakes for me on one of the monitoring days, in the hope that I might even be able to get a supermacro image! Not that I exactly fancy being a couple of inches away from a snake! Anything for a photo, right? Maybe...

Red Sided Garter Snake Identifying Features:

Body is very slender, average length is 460 to 1300 mm
Background colour is dark olive green to black
Dull yellow or brown stripe on the back fades towards the tail
Red or orange bars appear on the sides
Dark spots appear on the back, throat is whitish
Females are larger than males
Diet is insects, worms, fish, amphibians, small birds and mammals
Jaws can dislocate to spread far apart, enabling the snake to consume prey larger than its mouth

Information from www.friendsoffishcreek.org/