Thamnophis radix

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. 

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. 

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. 

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). 

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). 

Eyck, G. T. and Halpern, M. (1988). Aggregation in infant corn snakes Elapheguttata) and garter snakes (Thamnophis radix). Chemical Senses 13,740. 

Ross, P. and Crews, D. (1978). Stimuli influencing mating-behavior in garter snake, Thamnophis radix. Behavioral Ecology 4,133-142. 

Begun, D., Kubie, J. L., O Keefe, M. P., and Halpem, M., 1988, Conditioned discrimination of airborne odorants by garter snakes (Thamnophis radix and T. sirtalts sirtalis), J. Comp. Psychol. 102 35-43. 

Cieslak, E. S., 1945, Relation between the reproductive cycle and the pituitary gland in the snake Thamnophis radix. Physiol. Zool., 18 299. 

Thamnophis radix Lab Adult Reproduction Natural Ford and Low, 1984 Ford and Schofield, 1984... 

Table 5. Ability of male plains garter snakes, Thamnophis radix to determine direction of a female pheromone trail under three different physical conditions. For experiments I and II a one-tailed binomial test of the hypothesis that the males would follow the trail in the direction of the female was conducted. For experiment III the hypothesis tested was that the males would go the direction the pegs "indicated . From Ford and Low (1984). 

An optimal group in which to examine trail pheromone evolution is the garter snakes of the Thamnophis radix complex. In the United States, this complex consists of six recently evolved but distinct species radix,... 

Thamnophis radix complex. P values were calculated using a one-tailed binomial test for preference of the conspecific trail. From Ford (1982), Ford and Schofield (1983), and Ford and O Bleness (in press). 

Conant, R., Thomas, E. S., and Rausch, R. L., 1945, The plains garter snake, Thamnophis radix, in Ohio, Copeia, 1945 61. 

Ford, N. B., and Schofield, C. W., 1984, Species specificity of sex pheromone trails in the plains garter snake, Thamnophis radix, Herpetologica 40 51. 

Crews 1977). In addition, a pheromone associated with the copulatory plug in the plains garter snake (Thamnophis radix) renders captive males sexually refractory for periods of 24-72 h after exposure (Ross Crews 1978). Thus, there appear to be pheromones in the copulatory plug that not only render mated females temporarily unattractive, but also cause sexually active males to become sexually quiescent, ceasing courtship behavior after exposure to this pheromone. Similar studies in the Swedish viper (Vipera berus) did not yield any behaviors similar to those exhibited by garter snakes (Nilson Andren 1982). 

Graves, B.M. M. Halpem. 1988. Neonate plains garter snake Thamnophis radix) are attracted to conspecific skin extracts. J. Comp. Psych. 102 251-253. 

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