Snake Garter, Thamnophis

Stewart, G. R., 1972, An unusual record of sperm storage in a garter snake (genus Thamnophis), Herpetologica, 28 346. 

Graves R.M., Halpem M. and Gillingham J.C. (1993). Effects of vomeronasal system deafferentation on home range use in a natural population of Eastern Garter snakes, Thamnophis sirtalis. Anim Behav 45, 307-311. 

Terrick T.D., Mumme R.L. and Burghardt G.M. (1995). Aposematic coloration enchances chemosensory recognition of noxious prey in the garter snake Thamnophis radix. Anim Behav 49, 857-866. 

Wattiez R., Remy C., Falmagne P. and Toubeau G. (1994). Characterization of a frog-derived proteinaceous chemoattractant eliciting prey attack by Checkered Garter Snakes (Thamnophis marcianus). J Chem Ecol 20, 1143-1146. 

We can distinguish heptachlor from among other types of OCPs it accumulates in slime and hydro-organisms (the accumulation coefficient may reach 1000 and higher), from where it enters other organisms. Thamnophis garter snakes died in North American territories contaminated with heptachlor study showed that those Thamnophis sauritus that died had a heptachlor concentration in their tissues reaching 18.5 mg/kg, while those that survived had no more than 7.9 mg/kg [6]. Heptachlor accumulates in the milk of cows that have eaten feed contaminated by heptachlor [15]. 

Chlordane residue data for amphibians and reptiles are extremely limited. Maximum concentrations of chlordane isomers did not exceed 70 pg/kg FW of oxychlordane in eggs of the American crocodile, Crocodylus acutus, or 250 pg/kg FW in carcass of the common garter snake, Thamnophis sirtalis (Table 13.2). However, California newts, Tarichia torosa, taken near a lake treated with 10 pg/L technical chlordane had greatly elevated chlordane residues in liver and comparatively low concentrations in carcass, stomach, and stomach contents. After 14 days, livers contained about 34 mg/kg total chlordanes lipid weight — about 19% chlordanes, 9% nonachlors, and 6% chlor-denes (Albright et al. 1980). After 2.8 years, 98% of the total chlordanes was lost. 7ra .v-nonachlor was the most persistent component in newt liver, accounting for up to 55% of the total chlordanes in specimens collected 2.8 years after application (Table 13.2) (Albright et al. 1980). 

Northern water snake, Nerodia sipedon, Lake Michigan, 1978, chlordanes, all tissues, stomach contents Common garter snake, Thamnophis sirtalis, Lake ND 30... 

Ford, N.B. (1981) Seasonality of pheromone trailing behavior in two species of garter snake, Thamnophis (Colubridae). Southwest. Nat. 26, 385-388. 

LeMaster, M.P. and Mason, R.T. (2001) Evidence for a female sex pheromone mediating male trailing behavior in the red-sided garter snake, Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis. Chemoecology 11, 149-152. 

Patterns of Tongue-Flicking by Garter Snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis) during Presentation of Chemicals under Varying Conditions... 

Six juvenile garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis and Thamnophis radix), three of each sex, were used in this study. The snakes were housed individually in ventilated plastic containers. During earthworm extract trailing and the foraging task snakes were fed earthworms only in the maze. During airborne delivery of odors and open field exploration snakes were fed earthworms once a week, just before a two day weekend during which they were not tested. Water was available ad libitum. 

Burghardt, G.M. (1970). Intraspecific geographical variation in chemical food cue preferences of newborn garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis). Behav. 36, 246-257. 

Chiszar, D. and Carter, T. (1975) Reliability of individual differences between garter snakes (Thamnophis radix) during repeatd exposures to an open field. Bull. Psychon. Soc. 5, 507-509. 

Wilde, W.S. (1938) the role of Jacobson s organ in the feeding reaction of the common garter snake, Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis. J.Exper. Zool. 77, 445—465. 

Zuri, I. and Halpem, M. (2003) Differential effects of lesions of the vomeronasal and olfactory nerves on garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis) response to airborne chemical stimuli. Behav. Neurosci. 117, 169-183. 

Reptiles Garter snakes Thamnophis Feeding Response to earthworm Halpern eta/., 1985... 

In garter snakes Thamnophis sirtalis) a VNO-mediated stimulus can reinforce behavior dried earthworm wash or earthworm bits can be used to reward correct performance in a conditioned response to an arbitrary stimulus, such as dots versus stripes in a Y-maze (Halpern etal., 1985). In red-eared turtles the VNO is considered to involve aqueous chemoreception in water. Salt solutions and soluble vapor substances generated activity in the accessory olfactory bulb (Hatanaka and Hanada, 1987). 

Female snakes leave odor trails as they move through vegetation. Their body odor adheres to the anterolateral surfaces of vertical objects. Males then are able to determine the direction of a female s path. The plains garter snake, Thamnophis radix, extracts information in this way (Ford and Low, 1984). 

Neonate garter snakes, Thamnophis sirtalis, and brown snakes distinguish conspecific from heterospecific odors (Burghardt 1977, 1983). Newborn timber rattlesnakes, Crotalus horridus, are able to follow conspecific odor trails (Brown and MacLean, 1983). Neonate water snakes are attracted to conspecific odor (Scudder et ah, 1980) and neonate prairie rattlesnakes, Crotalus viridis, to lipoids from the epidermis of adult conspecifics (Graves etal., 1987). 

Visual and chemical cues interact in foraging by natricine snakes. Even visual cues alone can elicit prey attack, especially in aquatic foraging (Drummond, 1985). Aposematic color patterns of prey enhance the learning of prey that induces illness. Garter snakes, Thamnophis radix hay deni, were exposed to fish and earthworms presented on black-and-yellow forceps, and then inj ected with lithium chloride (LiCl). Control prey was offered on green forceps. Later, the snakes avoided food from either forceps, but the aversion to prey paired with black-andyellow was stronger (Terrick etal, 1995). 

Snakes can learn to discriminate profitable from less-manageable prey. Naive garter snakes, Thamnophis melanogaster, attacked both the carrion-eating leech Erpobdellapunctata and the blood-sucking leech Haementeria officinalis even though naive snakes respond less to the odor of H. officinalis. The latter thwarted... 

Garter snakes, Thamnophis sp. Racer, Coluber constrictor, and king snake Swabs or air Increased tongue flicking Weldon, 1982... 

Arnold, S. J. (1978). Some effects of early experience on feeding responses in the common garter snake, Thamnophis sirtalis. Animal Behaviour 26,455-462. 

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