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Thamnophis ordinoides (BAIRD & GIRARD, 1852)

IUCN Red List - Thamnophis ordinoides - Least Concern, LC
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Higher TaxaColubridae (Natricinae), Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Northwestern Garter Snake, Puget Sound Garter snake
G: Nordwestliche Strumpfbandnatter 
SynonymTropidonotus ordinoides BAIRD & GIRARD 1852: 176
Eutaenia ordinoides — BAIRD & GIRARD 1853: 300
Eutaenia ordinoides — BAIRD & GIRARD 1853: 33
Eutainia leptocephala BAIRD & GIRARD 1853: 29
Eutainia cooperi KENNICOTT in COOPER 1860: 296
Tropidonotus sirtalis var. leptocephala — JAN 1863: 69
Eutainia ordenoides — GARNIER 1881 (in error)
Tropidonotus leptocephala — BOULENGER 1893: 201
Thamnophis leptocephalus olympia MEEK 1899: 235
Thamnophis rubristriata MEEK in MEEK & ELLIOT 1899: 235
Eutaenia elegans ordinoides — COPE 1900: 1046
Eutainia leptocephala — COPE 1900: 1058
Euraenia sirtalis leptocephala – BROWN 1901: 30
Thamnophis ordinoides — RUTHVEN 1908: 147
Thamnophis ordinoides – FITCH 1940
Thamnophis ordinoides — STEBBINS 1985: 208
Thamnophis ordinoides — CROTHER 2000
Thamnophis ordinoides — SCHMIDT & KUNZ 2005
Thamnophis ordinoides — WALLACH et al. 2014: 724
Thamnophis ordinoides — HANSEN & SHEDD 2025 
DistributionCanada (SW British Columbia),
USA (W Washington, W Oregon, NW California, Alaska ?)

Type locality: Puget Sound.

leptocephala: Washington; Type locality: Puget Sound.

rubristriata: Type-locality, "Olympic Mountains," restricted to Port Angeles, Clallam County, Washington by Marx (1958)  
Reproductionovoviviparous (listed as viviparous by Blackburn 1994). 
TypesHolotype: unlocated, lost fide Kirk, 1979: 233.1.
Holotype: FMNH
Syntype: USNM 961 [Eutainia leptocephala] 
DiagnosisUnfortunately we had to temporarily remove additional information as this was scraped by multiple AI companies who sell that data to their customers. These details, e.g. detailed descriptions or comparisons (about 3192 characters), are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. 
CommentDiet: specialized on worms and snails (Heptinstall et al. 2024) 
EtymologyNot given by Baird and Girard (1852), but they observed longitudinal rows of black spots between the stripes of their specimens. These spots reminded them of Tropidonotus ordinatus (= Thamnophis s. sirtalis) and they apparently intended the name ordinoides to mean "ordinatus-like." (Kirk 1979)
 
References
  • Adams, Michael J.; West, Stephen D.; Kalmbach, Lorrie. 1999. Amphibian and reptile surveys of U.S. Navy lands on the Kitsap and Toandos Peninsulas, Washington. Northwestern Naturalist 80 (1):1-7 - get paper here
  • Allen, W. L., R. Baddeley, N. E. Scott-Samuel, and I. C. Cuthill. 2013. The evolution and function of pattern diversity in snakes. Behav. Ecol. 24:1237– 1250
  • Baird, S.F. and Girard,C. 1852. Descriptions of new species of reptiles, collected by the U.S. exploring expedition under the command of Capt. Charles Wilkes, U.S.N. First part. - Including the species from the Western coast of America. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 6: 174-177 - get paper here
  • Baird,S.F. and Girard,C. 1853. List of reptiles collected in California by Dr. John L. Le Conte, with description of new species. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 1853: 300-302 - get paper here
  • Bell, Katie A. H. and Patrick T. Gregory. 2014. White blood cells in Northwestern Gartersnakes (Thamnophis ordinoides). Herpetology Notes 7: 535-541 - get paper here
  • Blackburn, D.G. 1994. Standardized criteria for the recognition of embryonic nutritional patterns in squamate reptiles. Copeia 1994 (4): 925-935 - get paper here
  • Bourguignon, T. 2002. Strumpfbandnattern: Herkunft - Pflege - Arten. E. Ulmer Verlag, 125 pp.
  • Brown, A.E. 1901. A review of the Genera and Species of American Snakes, North of Mexico. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. 53: 10-110 - get paper here
  • Burbrink FT, Futterman I. 2019. Female‐ biased gape and body-size dimorphism in the New World watersnakes (tribe: Thamnophiini) oppose predictions from Rensch's rule. Ecol Evol. 00:1–10 - get paper here
  • Cooper, J. G. 1860. Report on the reptiles collected on the survey. Pacific Railroad Survey . . . 1853-1854 2: 292-306, plates 12-31
  • Cope, E.D. 1900. The crocodilians, lizards and snakes of North America. Ann. Rep. U.S. Natl. Mus. 1898: 153-1270 - get paper here
  • Crother, B. I. (ed.) 2012. Standard Common and Current Scientific Names for North American Amphibians, Turtles, Reptiles, and Crocodilians, Seventh Edition. Herpetological Circular 39: 1-92
  • Dixon-MacCallum, G. P. and K. A. H. Bell 2016. Thamnophis ordinoides (Northwestern Gartersnake) reproduction. Herpetological Review 47(3): 486-487. - get paper here
  • Fitch, H. S. 1936. Amphibians and reptiles of the Rouge River Basin, Oregon. American Midland Naturalist 17: 634-652 - get paper here
  • Fitch,H.C. 1940. A biogeographical study of the ordinoides artenkreis of garter snakes (genus Thamnophis). Univ. California Publ. Zool. 44: 1-150
  • Fitch,H.C. 1948. Further remarks concerning Thamnophis ordinoides. Copeia 1948 (2): 121-136 - get paper here
  • Fox, W. 1948. The relationships of the garter snake Thamnophis ordinoides. Copeia 1948 (2): 113-120 - get paper here
  • Garnier, J. H. 1881. List of Reptilia of Ontario. The Canadian Sportsman and Naturalist 1(5):37–39 [see Bauer 2025 for synonymies]
  • Gregory, Linda. 2012. Thamnophis ordinoides Northwestern Garter Snake - Couleuvre du Nord-Ouest. The Canadian Herpetologist 2 (1): 5-7
  • Grübner, Daniel 2014. Farbformen bei Strumpfbandnattern. Ein Blick in die Vergangenheit, das Heute und die Trends von Morgen. Draco 16 (57): 16-27 - get paper here
  • HALLAS, JOSHUA M.; THOMAS L. PARCHMAN & CHRIS R. FELDMAN. 2021. Phylogenomic analyses resolve relationships among garter snakes (Thamnophis: Natricinae: Colubridae) and elucidate biogeographic history and morphological evolution. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 107374. [2022 in print] - get paper here
  • Hallmen, M. 2006. Strumpfbandnattern im Freilandterrarium. Draco 6 (25): 102-113 - get paper here
  • Hallmen, M. & Chlebowy, J. 2000. Haltung und Zucht von Strumpfbandnattern. Reptilia (Münster) 5 (23): 22-27 - get paper here
  • Hallmen, M. & Chlebowy, J. 2001. Strumpfbandnattern. Natur und Tier Verlag (Münster), 192 pp. - get paper here
  • Hallmen, M. & Grübner, D. 2006. Überblick über die Gattung Thamnophis. Draco 6 (25): 6-24 - get paper here
  • Hansen, Robert and Jackson D. Shedd 2025. California Amphibians and Reptiles. Princeton University Press, 528 pp., ISBN<br />9780691249087 (ebook) - get paper here
  • Hart, J. 1934. Melanistic Garter Snake Recorded from Vancouver Island. Copeia, 1934(3), 142-142 - get paper here
  • Hebard, William B. 1951. Notes on the life history of the Puget Sound garter snake, Thamnophis ordinoides. Herpetologica 7: 177-179 - get paper here
  • Heptinstall, Tucker C.; Ramses A. Rosales-Garcia, Rhett M. Rautsaw, Erich P. Hofmann, Alan De Queiroz, Luis Canseco-Márquez & Christopher L. Parkinson 2024. Size Doesn't Matter: Body Size is Not Linked to Diet Specialization in Garter Snakes (Squamata: Natricidae: Thamnophis) Journal of Herpetology 58 (2): 122-134 - get paper here
  • Jan, G. 1863. Elenco Sistematico degli Ofidi descriti e disegnati per l'Iconografia Generale. Milano, A. Lombardi. vii + 143 pp. - get paper here
  • Kirk J J 1979. Thamnophis ordinoides (Baird and Girard). Northwestern garter snake. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles ( 233: 1-2 - get paper here
  • Leonard, William P.;Darda, David M. 1995. Thamnophis ordinoides. Herpetological Review 26 (2): 110 - get paper here
  • Meek, S. E. 1899. nan Zool Ser. Field Mus Nat. Hist 1: 235
  • Neuman-Lee, Lorin A.; Suzanne E. McGaugh, Michael Pfrender, and Fredric J. Janzen 2011. Using Mitochondrial DNA to Determine the Identity and Origin of a Gartersnake Found in Alaska. Journal of Herpetology 45 (1): 63-65. - get paper here
  • Nussbaum, R.A., Brodie, E.D., Jr., & Storm, R.M. 1983. Amphibians and reptiles of the Pacific Northwest. Univ. Press of Idaho, Moscow 332 pp.
  • O’Connor, A. 2012. The Columbia River george. HerpNation (9): 20-21 - get paper here
  • Pilliod, D., Jeffries, M., Arkle, R. and Olson, D. 2024. Climate Futures for Lizards and Snakes in Western North America May Result in New Species Management Issues. Ecol Evol, 14: e70379 - get paper here
  • Queiroz, Alan de; Robin Lawson and Julio A. Lemos-Espinal 2002. Phylogenetic Relationships of North American Garter Snakes (Thamnophis) Based on Four Mitochondrial Genes: How Much DNA Sequence Is Enough? Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 22: 315-329 - get paper here
  • Rossman, Douglas A.; Ford, Neil B. & Seigel, Richard A. 1996. The Garter Snakes: Evolution and Ecology. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, OK, xx + 332 + pp.
  • Schmidt, D. & Kunz, K. 2005. Ernährung von Schlangen. Natur und Tier Verlag, Münster, 159 pp. - get paper here
  • Stebbins,R.C. 1985. A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians, 2nd ed. Houghton Mifflin, Boston
  • Thompson, Joseph C. 1914. The variations exhibited by Thamnophis ordinoides (Baird and Girard), a gartersnake inhabiting the Sausalito Peninsula, California. Proc. US Natl. Mus. 47 (2051): 351-360 - get paper here
  • Thompson, Joseph C. 1917. The variation exhibited by Thamnophis ordinoides (Baird and Girard), a garter snake inhabiting the San Francisco Peninsula. Proc. US Natl. Mus. 52 (2179): 345-366 - get paper here
  • Vitt, L.J. 1974. Body Temperatures of High Latitude Reptiles Copeia 1974 (1): 255-256. - get paper here
  • Wallach, Van; Kenneth L. Williams , Jeff Boundy 2014. Snakes of the World: A Catalogue of Living and Extinct Species. [type catalogue] Taylor and Francis, CRC Press, 1237 pp.
  • Westphal, Michael F. 2006. On the Evolution of Correlated Color Traits in Garter Snakes. PhD Dissertation, Oregon State University, 180 pp. - get paper here
  • Wood, John Thornton;Wilkinson, Robert Holden 1952. Size variations and sexual dimorphisms in a brood of common garter snakes, Thamnophis o. ordinoides (L.). Virginia Journal of Science 3 (3): 202-205
 
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