I remember when somehow 2 year old me manged to obtain one went up to my mother held it up to here face and said "look what i found mommy" mom was scared s***less grandparents (her side) dying from laughter 😅good times
No thank you. Not a fan of any snake. These buggers seem to always be right of a trail where im stepping. Then if dont see it theyll scare the crap outta me. Only reason don't like is they surprise me when not paying any attention. Also when i was a kid i was taking a little break laying in grass from doing lawn work. Went to put my hands behind my head and slightly felt something with my hand but just continued laying on back and 2 mins later this big garter comes literally slithering down back of my neck. Probably the fastest I've ever reacted ha. I assume it was looking for a nice warm spot to nestle with it being towards end of summer fall.
I have these snakes in my back yard and sometimes I'll just sit outside with them and talk to them and they'll slither up to me and blep their tongues out of curiousity. They are awesome!
Eastern Garter Snakes never get the love that they deserve, they will always hold a special place in my heart as the first snake species I ever caught and the one that trained me to work with snakes in the wild. They are so diverse in their ecological role, I always find it interesting to see how garters in different parts of the country vary in their behavior and coloration, there’s always something interesting to take note of with garters. Great work as always, the b-roll was fantastic! - Harrison and Evan
I know, right?! They are docile, have highly variable colors and patterns, and are super easy to catch for a beginner. It's cool to hear that they are so special to you personally, I think that species for me is the black rat snake.
Wichita Kansas here. I've lived in Butler and Sedgwick county Kansas. The favorite past time of nearly every ks child I've ever met has been hunting and keeping infant garter snakes. Caught at 3-5 inches released about 1-4 weeks later or when they reach 7 inches depending on mom and dad's skill and patience with reptiles. They are found under most large (like 6in) rocks and dead logs in suburban gardens. They tend to be insectivores for the majority of the life time we see them and transition to mostly toads and young rodents (pinkies of various prairie mice). I have yet to see any basking in the Arkansas river (I live less than a half mile from the urban waterway). So I am keen to believe they have adapted half to be land hunters and the other half when close enough to water to be small pond fishers. My husband on his first month as an electrical apprentice found a dead 3in baby garter mummified in the fire escape light at a church lol. They don't exactly understand the aquatic thing in the middle of the pararie areas
Thanks Ben for sharing your knowledge and respect for the wild all around us. Your enthusiasm and love for all creatures great and small is contagious. I recently had an encounter with a large snake and trying to figure out what type of snake it was is what brought me to your videos. I live in the coastal town of Edenton North Carolina and I spotted the snake sunning in eves of the roof line of a guest house in my backyard. The snake spotted me too and quickly retreated into the attic space. I called wildlife and they saw no sign of the snake in the attic. A few days later I spotted a skin dangling from a rotted hole in the wood siding up around the gutter. It made me think the snake was coming and going. A large magnolia tree grows up against this guest house so I figure the snake climbs up the tree to the roof and then enters the hole. Anyway I patched the hole, ...so I thought. A few weeks later I was preparing the bed for guest and noticed a board I had stored and stacked had tumbled out from under the bed. I got on my knees to to restack it and when I did the board was pushed right back out. I reached in closer under the bed wondering why this happened and as my hand under the bed and hovering over what I thought was a foam tube I thought better about grabbing it, ...until I went and got my glasses and a flashlight. When I returned I saw it was a snake. I called wildlife again and they came in a hour and the snake was in the same spot and as a matter of fact there were two snakes together between the boards under the bed. Each snake was put in a separate container to be released in the woods. One snake was about 8 feet long and as thick as a float tube with sort of brownish and dark greenish skin and the other more slender and black and about 2 or 3 feet long. The wildlife guy had no idea what kind of snake either was and I found that frustrating as I wanted to know. I took a picture of the larger snake and I am hoping you might be able to take an educated guess. May I send you a picture of the snake? Thanks again for your work. Because of your videos I am not afraid like I was when I bumped into them. Haha. You are the best. Jack Early in North Carolina
Thank you so much for taking the time to write out this extremely detailed comment, and for the very kind words regarding my content! It sounds like you've had quite a bit of hands-on experience with NC snakes, and I can definitely help you ID the species if you post a picture of it on social media and tag me @thewildreport. Once again, thanks so much for your support of my content!
Funny that I found your channel again, I’m the guy who recently helped relocate a spotted salamander. I got curious about the reptiles and amphibians where I live in eastern Canada, and began researching them. I confirmed that a snake I saw earlier in the year was an eastern garter. He was huge, at least as big as I’ve seen on the this isolated island. I have photos that show him on the track marks of my excavator, and he was longer than my three foot wide tracks. I would guess he was about three and a half feet long, and very thick bodied. He slithered off into some brush I was about to move, so I caught him before he got away, and took him deeper into the woods away from the tree-line. I showed the photos to my co workers and they were all shocked, and some were concerned it was an invasive snake, as none of us had ever seen one get that big here. He was living on the edges of a swamp next to a sod field, and I assumed he was thriving in the tall grass around the trees that never got mowed. I think now he was probably living in the swamps eating frogs, and just happened to be out in the more open grassy area to bask, as it was the first warm day of the year here in my province. I see a lot of wildlife in my line of work, but he took the prize.
The coolest snake in the world. I constantly find them in my firewood pile. A gentle snake if handled right…I have had them wrap around my arm and just stare at me while I sit having a beer. Lol.. very curious snake for the most part…Not a palmetto bug in sight thanks to these guys…
I was golfing today and went into the tree line to grab a ball that I lost and accidentally discovered that I was surrounded by 3 of the little guys! I haven’t seen a snake in years and my primate response to seeing them was absolute shock haha. I ran like hell back to the cart! Afterwards however I looked them up online and it seems that they were all chilling together as apparently they literally have friends and hangout together, which is adorable. Also the fact that they didn’t seem to be bothered when I walked over them initially just goes to show how laid back they are, I didn’t even see them until I turned around to head back!
I am so glad I found your channel! My son and I love exploring our local state parks and forests and we just found a very large garter snake the other day and we had so many questions. Thanks for your videos! 😊
My daughter loves catching them. I have tons of them living in my retaining wall. We have tons of gartersnakes and a lot of hognose snakes with a few northern copperheads sprinkled in. All are awesome to see. Great video, bro. Very educational.
Did someone say the flagship snake of New England?!? Love seeing the garter snake get some love and awesome video on these guys! Can’t wait to find one myself this year awesome work Ben as always!
My parents house in Massachusetts has a stone wall surrounding the property. In the spring I see them the most. This year I saw a dozen of them spread across the property. One was really big.. wish I got the big one as pet
I nearly stepped on a bunch of these things that were sunning on a hike and bike trail. They blended in with the asphalt and I never noticed until my family was calling them out.
I've been doing pretty good on snakes in Michigan. I've had two ribbon snakes, a blue racer, and a recently hatched eastern hognose (7" on aug 31). The hognose was just hanging out in my garage. It was great seeing how he just instinctively flattens his head and neck to look tough. I just scooped him up into a Tupperware pan and put him in the woods. I didn't freak him out to see him playing dead.
I see these snakes in my backyard sometimes, always cool to see them slithering around. Also helped save an Eastern milk snake that somehow got in my basement.
My son and I found one by the train tracks last weekend. Small, probably a juvenile. Super cute. My little son was mesmerized. We got it off the tracks, held it for a bit, and shooed it off into the bushes.
I live in northern Vermont right by the Canadian border .. I every once in a while I see a blue garter snake .. I few years back there was one that was a aqua blue it was amazing g
Saw a lovely light green double striped garter snake in my backyard here in Sterling, VA a suburb of Washington DC Olay 15 February 2023. He was quite thin and about 18” long, not too scared of me, very lithe, a joy to watch how his coloring blended so well with the grass. I was picking up small sticks blown off the trees by wind when I saw him move. Temperature probably near 60f, short sleeves not uncomfortable. A joy to see him.
I've loved garter snakes since I was a kid. I saw a garter snake in my yard recently and I swear it was at least 3 feet long if not a little more. I've never seen such a large garter snake, it was beautiful. The a couple of years ago my kitty was interested in my closet where I keep my coats and I figured a mouse was in there. I got a cup to capture it and put it outside but when I turned on the light so I could see I found a baby garter snake up against the base board. I was able to get it into the plastic tumbler and take it outside. I have no clue how it happened to get into the house. I enjoyed your video and it was very informative.🐍💖
They are so cool and it's amazing how diverse their colors and patterns can be! Glad you rescued the little one, I wonder what the heck it was doing in your house haha
@@TheWildReportOfficial I wonder how in the world it got into the house too. My kitty knew something was in there and she was very excited to get into the closet. I put her in the other room and even with a flashlight I could barely see the little thing up against the baseboard. It was the size oof my little finger but longer. It had a pretty checkered pattern on it's back. 🐍💚
I just looked you up to see if you were still posting. Your stuff is always so great. You should have 1 million subs by now. Congrats on your success thus far.
Heck yes dude, time to bring on the spring herping content! Also you'll definitely find one eventually if you are in ribbon habitat, they seem to stick to similar areas.
They give live birth too! They're the most common snake here in Pennsylvania. The most that I captured in a day was 68. No... I didn't keep them... I turned them loose the following day. During that particular day... I found them with Milk snakes. However... I only found 5 of those. Catching snakes has always been a passion of mine since the age of six. I'd pull off my pillow case and head for the fields.
@@TheWildReportOfficial my best flip was a old metal roof ( about eight by eight ). Two huge black rat snakes, four black racers, and four big milk snakes. The black rat snakes were 5 1/2 foot female and a 6 foot male. I kept them for a few days and released to the exact spot where I found them. I actually was holding them constricted around my forearms and they started rubbing heads really quick... I put them down and the immediately coupled on the spot. So... I took them back the next day.
Really nice snakes and great commentary placing the animal even more deeply into perspective than seeing you out there on their territory already does. Once a person has caught a lot of the different species of snakes, that's when they see gartersnakes for what they are and become excited by them again. Incredible genus, Thamnophis, offering hands down some of the most beautiful individual snakes to be found anywhere on the planet. (We have three full species in my area.) Aren't we lucky they are so wide-ranging, come in so many forms, and have been so successful at hanging-on in fair numbers! Those biggees are almost certainly "she". Thanks for the segment!
@@TheWildReportOfficial on significant levels it makes the MORE cool. In the same way ravens and crows, with their incredible ability to succeed where other species fail, are amongst the coolest of birds.
It's a favorite past time of almost all children in Kansas to find and keep infant garter snakes until they are 6-8 inches or a couple weeks then let them go. They are under most rocks/wood piles in healthy gardens for the majority of may and June (under expected weather patterns).
They are such wonderful little noodles! I grew up catching these guys and letting them go. I am struggling to resist the urge to get a captive bred one as a pet. My one reservation is that I'm old, and I'm not sure anyone in my family would appreciate being left one in my will.
They really are so fun to work with. You could also buy an older individual, and care is pretty easy so even if it ended up getting passed on to other family members it shouldn't be a huge task taking care of it.
I live in the Midwest, when I was young I caught every snake that was indigenous to the Midwest, the only snake to ever bite me was a 3 ft. garter snake!
me and my 10 year old found 2 today in a wood pile. used them to teach her how to identify and handle a snake. I tell you what, Garters tend to be really feisty lol
I live in Virginia, and used to see these every year, all of the time.....Haven't see ANY in my large yard for years....Makes me sad. We need Snakes more than most people know.
@@misscandy84 I understand the "Fear" aspect of a venomous snake may be disturbing to people. However, they are just as important for a healthy ecosystem.
I asked this question a while back and I’m really curious. Where I live in New England we have many snakes come out in March and April when it warms up during the day. I’m wondering what they do when it’s warm for a few days and then it gets below 30degrees for a week or so? Do they go back into a den? What happens when they travel to mate? How do they protect themselves from 20+ degrees at night once they come out for Spring. Do they go into full brumation or hibernation again? It was almost 80 here last week and now it’s 22 degrees at night and 30 in the day. I’m hoping they find a way to protect themselves from a week or two of freezing temps again. Thanks for another great video. 👍🏼👍🏼
@@willy565 here’s what I could find so far. When cold weather hits, snakes must find shelter from the temperatures by burrowing in holes or caves, under logs or rocks, in tree stumps, or by making their way into basements, crawlspaces, garages, barns, sheds, wood piles, and even car engines.Oct 18, 2019
That's a fantastic question, and I think the super lame answer is 'it depends'. Garters are a species that often communally brumate, which means hundreds or thousands of individuals may emerge at the same time when conditions are right. This leads to mass breeding events right outside the den site, minimizing distance from a safe overnight location should the weather turn foul again. While some individuals likely will die during a sudden cold snap, most of the time they are able to retreat back into their hibernaculum before health problems arise.
thank you for the video greatly appreciate it to identify this snake did not want my wife or kids or dogs to get bit or myself it was about in between the first and second you found a fairly good-sized snake
Texas y'all ❤️ thanks for helping my neighbor. He wasn't comfortable with my id of a snake on his patio. Showed him your video he's cool now 😅 Yankees...😂😂 JK love from Texas y'all ❤️
Hi I live in Georgia I just found FOUR little snakes sleeping under my rug on the front porch. I really want to find out if they are. I've researched and have narrowed it down to Garters or Dekayi but i could be wrong. May I send you a video or pics. Why were they all together? Were they babies who had just hatched or birthed?
@@TheWildReportOfficial That would be great. I'm not all that tech savvy, guess I could do it on Facebook? Look out for the pics in the next couple of days. Thank you!
I read that you can identify a male from a female garter snake by their tails, I female has a more slender tail with a sharp point at the end....is this true? My Husband accidently hit one at his work, we believe it is a female, she has a wound on her back end and one of her eyes is possibly wounded, it's hard to tell. I've been reading up on them and it says we can use an antibiotic ointment on it's wound on it's tail so we have been. I am worried it may be stargazing, but I'm not positive and when we called a vet they didn't have any clue and nowhere near us takes care of snakes. Have you had experience with this? We plan to let her back into the wild once she heals and praying she doesn't have any neurological damage aka stargazing. Thanks for any advice or tips in advance. Thanks for doing such great videos, very informative/helpful.
Sexing snakes by the tail is tricky, but typically I find that males have longer and more slender tails whereas females have shorter and stockier tails. I've never administered antibiotic to a snake, and if you don't want to take that course of action you could always just keep her at a relatively high temperature and give her plenty of food to accelerate the healing process. Good luck!
Do they live in the same area over years? I swear iv been watching one grow up. Any advice on how I can avoid them getting caught in the mower? Feels bad when I accidentally get one. I like to keep them around for pest control.
We live by a field that has like tall grass and bushes and stuff and the other day I found a snake just chilling in front of my front door when I opened the door he started to take off he had a skinny black tail and small head and his color was like a brownish color I just wondering what kind of snake that would be? I live in tennessee if that helps
Just sitting in my backyard, when a bird swooped in and left what i thought was a small cable, until the cable started moving it's head like "where am I?" Then I was like "omg is that a snake?" Walked over and it was a snake, and it was just finishing a worm. Then I realized the bird wanted the worm and the snake was eating the other end and the bird pulled up the worm and the snake at the same time and didn't realize until it was already flying.
I'll send you a couple pictures of the blue sided from the pet shop, she poses for pictures? To the snake, thanks for musking Ben it was very enjoyable!
I have a question. Some years ago some friends and I were in Hill Forest,and we came across a small snake. The description: 6-8 in., splotchy pattern like a Pygmy Rattlesnake, but it was a grayer body color,black spots, and pinkish borders, and most notably it had vertical, or lenticular pupils. None of us had seen one like it, but it was in the sunlight so the pupils made us very cautious looking at it. I had seen one like it before. We were right next to the Flat River,and we were close to the border of the Timber Rattlesnake range for that area, but I’ve never forgot about it. Do you know what kind of snake that was.
That is a very unique description! Based on the location, the only thing I can imagine it being would be a young Eastern hognose snake, but they do not normally have lenticular pupils so it might have had a genetic condition that caused a modified shape for some reason.
Thank You. I REALLY APPRECIATE that you took the time to answer my question. Yea it was a week or so past peak Autumn color, and was a perfectly mild day. I didn’t know that the Hognose could have vertpups. Yea we were near the old Mailman’s carry set up by N.C.S.U. / U.S. Geological Marker. It is one of those times that you wish cellphone cameras existed. I have wondered if it is possible to be a baby Timberrattler,or Pygmy since I’ve seen pictures of them most closely resemble it?
@@cassiecraft8856 Absolutely! In autumn hogs are especially active, but other than that or an out of place pyg I don't know what it could have been. Baby timber would not likely have spots or pinkish borders. If it was a pyg that would be pretty record breaking as far as range goes.
I know. I wholeheartedly agree. The thing is that if there weren’t 4 of my friends there that also saw it then it would just be my word and account, again all of us stopped and asked what kind of snake is that, and the first thing everyone of us said is he has vertical pupils. We hunted and fished ,but it was a different looking snake than I’ve seen since, except in Dinwiddie,Va., I saw one ,but smaller yet laying on the sandy dirt between two of those Short-Tail Shrew holes. It was identical, but when I looked up and saw it,it had its head and neck flattened like a Cobra,and as soon as I saw it it turned and went back into the hole on the right.
Please don’t kill any snake, regardless of what kind it is. All snakes are beneficial to us and we need them. All snakes will run from you and are more afraid of you then you are of them, regardless of the type. No snake will ever attack you, if you see a venomous snake and it’s around where children or pets play please call a licensed person to remove it to a safe place FOR THE SNAKE. PLEASE🙏🏼
-7:40 to -7:33. The snake with the wide open mouth and white inside the mouth is not a garter snake. It is a venomous Cottonmouth, aka Moccasin. It is not a garter snake. It is venomous.* Also there is a splotchy coppery brown snake curled up. It is a Copperhead, another venomous snake. Just don’t want anyone to think they were other versions of a garter snake. * repeated for emphasis
Glad only have a few venomous snakes here in WNY. Think timber rattlers, copperhead and massasaguas. Never come across these in my entire life (knock knock knockin on wood). No thanks
i rip what i see and dont know in my back yard sorry got 3 kids and snake is a snake they aways strike at me im not a expert on snake so rip is you croos my path😢
In my experience they really only get cranky when you frighten them, or when they have been recently been through crap. The only time I've been bitten by a snake was a garter I'd just taken away from some kids who were tormenting it. I could hardly blame the fellow, given the circumstances. I didn't enjoy the bites, but I'll take them over an angry bird bite any day.
Upstate NY here. I live in the woods and see these guys on a near daily basis. Completely harmless and such beautiful creatures
For sure, garters are a super underappreciated species!
I’m in upstate ny too and that’s how I ended up with my 2nd snake😂 took him in now I have a western hog nose and a garter snake
I stay in Northern Illinois 40 miles south of Chicago and we have them.... they make me jump lol😂
I remember when somehow 2 year old me manged to obtain one went up to my mother held it up to here face and said "look what i found mommy" mom was scared s***less grandparents (her side) dying from laughter 😅good times
No thank you. Not a fan of any snake. These buggers seem to always be right of a trail where im stepping. Then if dont see it theyll scare the crap outta me. Only reason don't like is they surprise me when not paying any attention. Also when i was a kid i was taking a little break laying in grass from doing lawn work. Went to put my hands behind my head and slightly felt something with my hand but just continued laying on back and 2 mins later this big garter comes literally slithering down back of my neck. Probably the fastest I've ever reacted ha. I assume it was looking for a nice warm spot to nestle with it being towards end of summer fall.
I have these snakes in my back yard and sometimes I'll just sit outside with them and talk to them and they'll slither up to me and blep their tongues out of curiousity. They are awesome!
Haha so cool!
Parsel tongue
Eastern Garter Snakes never get the love that they deserve, they will always hold a special place in my heart as the first snake species I ever caught and the one that trained me to work with snakes in the wild. They are so diverse in their ecological role, I always find it interesting to see how garters in different parts of the country vary in their behavior and coloration, there’s always something interesting to take note of with garters. Great work as always, the b-roll was fantastic!
- Harrison and Evan
I know, right?! They are docile, have highly variable colors and patterns, and are super easy to catch for a beginner. It's cool to hear that they are so special to you personally, I think that species for me is the black rat snake.
Wichita Kansas here. I've lived in Butler and Sedgwick county Kansas. The favorite past time of nearly every ks child I've ever met has been hunting and keeping infant garter snakes. Caught at 3-5 inches released about 1-4 weeks later or when they reach 7 inches depending on mom and dad's skill and patience with reptiles.
They are found under most large (like 6in) rocks and dead logs in suburban gardens. They tend to be insectivores for the majority of the life time we see them and transition to mostly toads and young rodents (pinkies of various prairie mice). I have yet to see any basking in the Arkansas river (I live less than a half mile from the urban waterway). So I am keen to believe they have adapted half to be land hunters and the other half when close enough to water to be small pond fishers.
My husband on his first month as an electrical apprentice found a dead 3in baby garter mummified in the fire escape light at a church lol. They don't exactly understand the aquatic thing in the middle of the pararie areas
Thanks Ben for sharing your knowledge and respect for the wild all around us. Your enthusiasm and love for all creatures great and small is contagious. I recently had an encounter with a large snake and trying to figure out what type of snake it was is what brought me to your videos. I live in the coastal town of Edenton North Carolina and I spotted the snake sunning in eves of the roof line of a guest house in my backyard. The snake spotted me too and quickly retreated into the attic space. I called wildlife and they saw no sign of the snake in the attic. A few days later I spotted a skin dangling from a rotted hole in the wood siding up around the gutter. It made me think the snake was coming and going. A large magnolia tree grows up against this guest house so I figure the snake climbs up the tree to the roof and then enters the hole. Anyway I patched the hole, ...so I thought. A few weeks later I was preparing the bed for guest and noticed a board I had stored and stacked had tumbled out from under the bed. I got on my knees to to restack it and when I did the board was pushed right back out. I reached in closer under the bed wondering why this happened and as my hand under the bed and hovering
over what I thought was a foam tube I thought better about grabbing it, ...until I went and got my glasses and a flashlight. When I returned I saw it was a snake. I called wildlife again and they came in a hour and the snake was in the same spot and as a matter of fact there were two snakes together between the boards under the bed. Each snake was put in a separate container to be released in the woods. One snake was about 8 feet long and as thick as a float tube with sort of brownish and dark greenish skin and the other more slender and black and about 2 or 3 feet long. The wildlife guy had no idea what kind of snake either was and I found that frustrating as I wanted to know. I took a picture of the larger snake and I am hoping you might be able to take an educated guess. May I send you a picture of the snake? Thanks again for your work. Because of your videos I am not afraid like I was when I bumped into them. Haha. You are the best. Jack Early in North Carolina
Thank you so much for taking the time to write out this extremely detailed comment, and for the very kind words regarding my content! It sounds like you've had quite a bit of hands-on experience with NC snakes, and I can definitely help you ID the species if you post a picture of it on social media and tag me @thewildreport. Once again, thanks so much for your support of my content!
Funny that I found your channel again, I’m the guy who recently helped relocate a spotted salamander. I got curious about the reptiles and amphibians where I live in eastern Canada, and began researching them. I confirmed that a snake I saw earlier in the year was an eastern garter. He was huge, at least as big as I’ve seen on the this isolated island. I have photos that show him on the track marks of my excavator, and he was longer than my three foot wide tracks. I would guess he was about three and a half feet long, and very thick bodied.
He slithered off into some brush I was about to move, so I caught him before he got away, and took him deeper into the woods away from the tree-line.
I showed the photos to my co workers and they were all shocked, and some were concerned it was an invasive snake, as none of us had ever seen one get that big here. He was living on the edges of a swamp next to a sod field, and I assumed he was thriving in the tall grass around the trees that never got mowed. I think now he was probably living in the swamps eating frogs, and just happened to be out in the more open grassy area to bask, as it was the first warm day of the year here in my province.
I see a lot of wildlife in my line of work, but he took the prize.
The coolest snake in the world. I constantly find them in my firewood pile. A gentle snake if handled right…I have had them wrap around my arm and just stare at me while I sit having a beer. Lol.. very curious snake for the most part…Not a palmetto bug in sight thanks to these guys…
I was golfing today and went into the tree line to grab a ball that I lost and accidentally discovered that I was surrounded by 3 of the little guys! I haven’t seen a snake in years and my primate response to seeing them was absolute shock haha. I ran like hell back to the cart!
Afterwards however I looked them up online and it seems that they were all chilling together as apparently they literally have friends and hangout together, which is adorable. Also the fact that they didn’t seem to be bothered when I walked over them initially just goes to show how laid back they are, I didn’t even see them until I turned around to head back!
Haha that's fantastic, love seeing snakes hanging out together in the wild!
I am so glad I found your channel! My son and I love exploring our local state parks and forests and we just found a very large garter snake the other day and we had so many questions. Thanks for your videos! 😊
Welcome aboard!
My daughter loves catching them. I have tons of them living in my retaining wall. We have tons of gartersnakes and a lot of hognose snakes with a few northern copperheads sprinkled in. All are awesome to see. Great video, bro. Very educational.
That is awesome, and thank you!
You’re welcome.
Did someone say the flagship snake of New England?!? Love seeing the garter snake get some love and awesome video on these guys! Can’t wait to find one myself this year awesome work Ben as always!
Heck yes dude, hope you get to see one this year!
My parents house in Massachusetts has a stone wall surrounding the property. In the spring I see them the most. This year I saw a dozen of them spread across the property. One was really big.. wish I got the big one as pet
I nearly stepped on a bunch of these things that were sunning on a hike and bike trail. They blended in with the asphalt and I never noticed until my family was calling them out.
I've been doing pretty good on snakes in Michigan. I've had two ribbon snakes, a blue racer, and a recently hatched eastern hognose (7" on aug 31). The hognose was just hanging out in my garage. It was great seeing how he just instinctively flattens his head and neck to look tough.
I just scooped him up into a Tupperware pan and put him in the woods. I didn't freak him out to see him playing dead.
Oh nice, blue racers are absolutely gorgeous snakes that I'd love to see some day!
I see these snakes in my backyard sometimes, always cool to see them slithering around. Also helped save an Eastern milk snake that somehow got in my basement.
They are so fun to watch! Also dang I wish I had milk snakes in my basement...not that I have a basement...
My son and I found one by the train tracks last weekend.
Small, probably a juvenile. Super cute. My little son was mesmerized. We got it off the tracks, held it for a bit, and shooed it off into the bushes.
How cool, glad you were able to have a positive encounter with one!
I live in northern Vermont right by the Canadian border .. I every once in a while I see a blue garter snake .. I few years back there was one that was a aqua blue it was amazing g
That's awesome, I love the color variation that garters can have!
Saw a lovely light green double striped garter snake in my backyard here in Sterling, VA a suburb of Washington DC Olay 15 February 2023. He was quite thin and about 18” long, not too scared of me, very lithe, a joy to watch how his coloring blended so well with the grass. I was picking up small sticks blown off the trees by wind when I saw him move. Temperature probably near 60f, short sleeves not uncomfortable. A joy to see him.
I've loved garter snakes since I was a kid. I saw a garter snake in my yard recently and I swear it was at least 3 feet long if not a little more. I've never seen such a large garter snake, it was beautiful. The a couple of years ago my kitty was interested in my closet where I keep my coats and I figured a mouse was in there. I got a cup to capture it and put it outside but when I turned on the light so I could see I found a baby garter snake up against the base board. I was able to get it into the plastic tumbler and take it outside. I have no clue how it happened to get into the house. I enjoyed your video and it was very informative.🐍💖
They are so cool and it's amazing how diverse their colors and patterns can be! Glad you rescued the little one, I wonder what the heck it was doing in your house haha
@@TheWildReportOfficial I wonder how in the world it got into the house too. My kitty knew something was in there and she was very excited to get into the closet. I put her in the other room and even with a flashlight I could barely see the little thing up against the baseboard. It was the size oof my little finger but longer. It had a pretty checkered pattern on it's back. 🐍💚
I just looked you up to see if you were still posting. Your stuff is always so great. You should have 1 million subs by now. Congrats on your success thus far.
Thank you so much for the kind words! I really appreciate your continued support of my content :)
I got these in my backyard, one was chilling on top of a tall weed plant
Ayyy the everything you need to know series is back! I see lots of ribbons but I’ve never caught a garter. Nice finds man!
Heck yes dude, time to bring on the spring herping content! Also you'll definitely find one eventually if you are in ribbon habitat, they seem to stick to similar areas.
They give live birth too!
They're the most common snake here in Pennsylvania. The most that I captured in a day was 68. No... I didn't keep them... I turned them loose the following day.
During that particular day... I found them with Milk snakes. However... I only found 5 of those.
Catching snakes has always been a passion of mine since the age of six. I'd pull off my pillow case and head for the fields.
Wow, I can't imagine finding 68 in one day, and with milk snakes to boot! Maybe I need to visit PA soon haha
@@TheWildReportOfficial this was when I was your age ( younger )... I'm a grandpa nowadays 😂
@@TheWildReportOfficial my best flip was a old metal roof ( about eight by eight ). Two huge black rat snakes, four black racers, and four big milk snakes.
The black rat snakes were 5 1/2 foot female and a 6 foot male. I kept them for a few days and released to the exact spot where I found them.
I actually was holding them constricted around my forearms and they started rubbing heads really quick... I put them down and the immediately coupled on the spot.
So... I took them back the next day.
Awesome video, thanks for posting this! There is one thing to mention about Garter snakes, and that is they're rear fanged and mildly venomous.
Good point! Glad you enjoyed the video.
Just caught about a 18" - 24" one today in my South Jersey back yard. I released it into the woods with an old farmer's pond down the street.
Really nice snakes and great commentary placing the animal even more deeply into perspective than seeing you out there on their territory already does. Once a person has caught a lot of the different species of snakes, that's when they see gartersnakes for what they are and become excited by them again. Incredible genus, Thamnophis, offering hands down some of the most beautiful individual snakes to be found anywhere on the planet. (We have three full species in my area.) Aren't we lucky they are so wide-ranging, come in so many forms, and have been so successful at hanging-on in fair numbers! Those biggees are almost certainly "she". Thanks for the segment!
Yeah garters are super slept on just because they are common and widespread. IMO it doesn't make them any less cool though!
@@TheWildReportOfficial on significant levels it makes the MORE cool. In the same way ravens and crows, with their incredible ability to succeed where other species fail, are amongst the coolest of birds.
We found 8 garter snakes on a recent hike! The kids were even more excited than I. lol
Haha they are such cute little snakes
a few days ago i found a garter snake on the side of the road that was 3+ feet long and it was the most aggressive garter snake ive ever seen
Dang, that's unusual! Maybe it was having a bad day haha
We have a hefty 3-footer living in our garden beds, caught him soaking up heat from the concrete porch today 👍
Dang that's awesome!
It's a favorite past time of almost all children in Kansas to find and keep infant garter snakes until they are 6-8 inches or a couple weeks then let them go. They are under most rocks/wood piles in healthy gardens for the majority of may and June (under expected weather patterns).
That's adorable, good for Kansas kids!
dig your videos brah!!
Thanks Joe, glad to hear that!
These guys are out right now in Quispamsis NB Canada big time. Super nice snake
Awesome, yeah they are super fun to observe in the wild!
Cool snake. I always think that they look like they are smiling! Love the gentle way you handle them.
Thanks, Patricia! Yeah they are absolutely adorable.
I saw a garter snake near where I live a few days ago
Nice! Many of them are definitely waking up from brumation right now.
I just saw my first one of the season.. I googled the photo and it sent me to your video.. Just glad it's nothing poisonous. I didn't kill it.
Ben!! Hello! We think our cat got bit by a garter snake. Do they bite? Any idea what that bite might look like?
They can, and it looks like a row of little pinpricks in a U shape.
@@TheWildReportOfficial One ‘bit me and it felt lime sand paper….
They are such wonderful little noodles! I grew up catching these guys and letting them go.
I am struggling to resist the urge to get a captive bred one as a pet. My one reservation is that I'm old, and I'm not sure anyone in my family would appreciate being left one in my will.
They really are so fun to work with. You could also buy an older individual, and care is pretty easy so even if it ended up getting passed on to other family members it shouldn't be a huge task taking care of it.
I live in the Midwest, when I was young I caught every snake that was indigenous to the Midwest, the only snake to ever bite me was a 3 ft. garter snake!
Never ran into an adult garter snake in my backyard, but plenty of babies over the years
me and my 10 year old found 2 today in a wood pile. used them to teach her how to identify and handle a snake. I tell you what, Garters tend to be really feisty lol
Haha yeah they almost always musk
Love the intro. done very well.
Thanks very much, glad to hear that!
That’s a really swell gardener snake you found there sir
Thanks old chap, he was certainly a splendid gardener snake
I live in Virginia, and used to see these every year, all of the time.....Haven't see ANY in my large yard for years....Makes me sad. We need Snakes more than most people know.
I have noticed that as well in Hampton Roads.
@@sentforth5 Yes. I'm in Newport News. Used to see them all of the time. Not anymore. Sucks.
@@willy565 Newport News kid myself...used to see 'em everywhere.
Just not venmous snakes we don't need
@@misscandy84 I understand the "Fear" aspect of a venomous snake may be disturbing to people. However, they are just as important for a healthy ecosystem.
I asked this question a while back and I’m really curious. Where I live in New England we have many snakes come out in March and April when it warms up during the day. I’m wondering what they do when it’s warm for a few days and then it gets below 30degrees for a week or so? Do they go back into a den? What happens when they travel to mate? How do they protect themselves from 20+ degrees at night once they come out for Spring. Do they go into full brumation or hibernation again? It was almost 80 here last week and now it’s 22 degrees at night and 30 in the day. I’m hoping they find a way to protect themselves from a week or two of freezing temps again. Thanks for another great video. 👍🏼👍🏼
I'd like an answer to this as well. Good question. I deal with this same issue in Virginia.
@@willy565 here’s what I could find so far.
When cold weather hits, snakes must find shelter from the temperatures by burrowing in holes or caves, under logs or rocks, in tree stumps, or by making their way into basements, crawlspaces, garages, barns, sheds, wood piles, and even car engines.Oct 18, 2019
@@willy565 I guess they don’t go back to dens. 👍🏼👍🏼
@@mariemaroney7891 Good information. Thanks!
That's a fantastic question, and I think the super lame answer is 'it depends'. Garters are a species that often communally brumate, which means hundreds or thousands of individuals may emerge at the same time when conditions are right. This leads to mass breeding events right outside the den site, minimizing distance from a safe overnight location should the weather turn foul again. While some individuals likely will die during a sudden cold snap, most of the time they are able to retreat back into their hibernaculum before health problems arise.
thank you for the video greatly appreciate it to identify this snake did not want my wife or kids or dogs to get bit or myself it was about in between the first and second you found a fairly good-sized snake
I love snakes especially garden snakes 🐍
Garter snake
Nice! Garter snakes are great!
Thanks Christopher, they are definitely really neat little reptiles!
We caught one today too!
No way, that's awesome!
Honestly garter snakes are cute. This was an Interesting video, very informative. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you very much.
I just seen my first snake today
God I love the scale patterns!
Texas y'all ❤️ thanks for helping my neighbor. He wasn't comfortable with my id of a snake on his patio. Showed him your video he's cool now 😅
Yankees...😂😂 JK love from Texas y'all ❤️
Haha thanks, glad you enjoyed!
Your videos are useful
Thank you, I'm glad you think that!
I've yet to see any snakes this year. The only reptiles I've seen so far are skinks and fence lizards
It shouldn't be too much longer until they are all out of brumation, usually mid-April is the tipping point.
Discovered a Garter snake hang out in my Magnolia tree. And it looks like he was eating well. Is climbing trees common for this snake?
Definitely not, that's super cool!
Heck baby garter snakes are starting to slither into the entrances of the hospital here.
It is baby season!
Hi I live in Georgia I just found FOUR little snakes sleeping under my rug on the front porch. I really want to find out if they are. I've researched and have narrowed it down to Garters or Dekayi but i could be wrong. May I send you a video or pics. Why were they all together? Were they babies who had just hatched or birthed?
No way, that's so cool! You can post them on social media somewhere and tag me (@thewildreport) and I can try to help!
@@TheWildReportOfficial That would be great. I'm not all that tech savvy, guess I could do it on Facebook? Look out for the pics in the next couple of days. Thank you!
Awesome animals!
They are amazing!
I read that you can identify a male from a female garter snake by their tails, I female has a more slender tail with a sharp point at the end....is this true?
My Husband accidently hit one at his work, we believe it is a female, she has a wound on her back end and one of her eyes is possibly wounded, it's hard to tell.
I've been reading up on them and it says we can use an antibiotic ointment on it's wound on it's tail so we have been.
I am worried it may be stargazing, but I'm not positive and when we called a vet they didn't have any clue and nowhere near us takes care of snakes.
Have you had experience with this?
We plan to let her back into the wild once she heals and praying she doesn't have any neurological damage aka stargazing.
Thanks for any advice or tips in advance.
Thanks for doing such great videos, very informative/helpful.
Sexing snakes by the tail is tricky, but typically I find that males have longer and more slender tails whereas females have shorter and stockier tails. I've never administered antibiotic to a snake, and if you don't want to take that course of action you could always just keep her at a relatively high temperature and give her plenty of food to accelerate the healing process. Good luck!
Do they live in the same area over years? I swear iv been watching one grow up. Any advice on how I can avoid them getting caught in the mower? Feels bad when I accidentally get one. I like to keep them around for pest control.
Yes they absolutely do have home ranges! And for mower I would leave ~3 feet of your yard edge unmowed if you can so they have a safe passage.
aww these bois are so cute
We live by a field that has like tall grass and bushes and stuff and the other day I found a snake just chilling in front of my front door when I opened the door he started to take off he had a skinny black tail and small head and his color was like a brownish color I just wondering what kind of snake that would be? I live in tennessee if that helps
It's hard to say with that description but it sounds like a Dekay's brown snake to me!
@@TheWildReportOfficial thanks i know it’s not a good description but he took off soon as I opened my screen door… Lol
That musk fluid release is supposed to have a pungent foul smell, you should have commented on it.
Just sitting in my backyard, when a bird swooped in and left what i thought was a small cable, until the cable started moving it's head like "where am I?"
Then I was like "omg is that a snake?" Walked over and it was a snake, and it was just finishing a worm.
Then I realized the bird wanted the worm and the snake was eating the other end and the bird pulled up the worm and the snake at the same time and didn't realize until it was already flying.
Woah, that's wild!
I'll send you a couple pictures of the blue sided from the pet shop, she poses for pictures? To the snake, thanks for musking Ben it was very enjoyable!
I saw one today
I have a question. Some years ago some friends and I were in Hill Forest,and we came across a small snake. The description: 6-8 in., splotchy pattern like a Pygmy Rattlesnake, but it was a grayer body color,black spots, and pinkish borders, and most notably it had vertical, or lenticular pupils. None of us had seen one like it, but it was in the sunlight so the pupils made us very cautious looking at it. I had seen one like it before. We were right next to the Flat River,and we were close to the border of the Timber Rattlesnake range for that area, but I’ve never forgot about it. Do you know what kind of snake that was.
That is a very unique description! Based on the location, the only thing I can imagine it being would be a young Eastern hognose snake, but they do not normally have lenticular pupils so it might have had a genetic condition that caused a modified shape for some reason.
Thank You. I REALLY APPRECIATE that you took the time to answer my question. Yea it was a week or so past peak Autumn color, and was a perfectly mild day. I didn’t know that the Hognose could have vertpups. Yea we were near the old Mailman’s carry set up by N.C.S.U. / U.S. Geological Marker. It is one of those times that you wish cellphone cameras existed. I have wondered if it is possible to be a baby Timberrattler,or Pygmy since I’ve seen pictures of them most closely resemble it?
@@cassiecraft8856 Absolutely! In autumn hogs are especially active, but other than that or an out of place pyg I don't know what it could have been. Baby timber would not likely have spots or pinkish borders. If it was a pyg that would be pretty record breaking as far as range goes.
I know. I wholeheartedly agree. The thing is that if there weren’t 4 of my friends there that also saw it then it would just be my word and account, again all of us stopped and asked what kind of snake is that, and the first thing everyone of us said is he has vertical pupils. We hunted and fished ,but it was a different looking snake than I’ve seen since, except in Dinwiddie,Va., I saw one ,but smaller yet laying on the sandy dirt between two of those Short-Tail Shrew holes. It was identical, but when I looked up and saw it,it had its head and neck flattened like a Cobra,and as soon as I saw it it turned and went back into the hole on the right.
@@cassiecraft8856 The cobra-esque head flattening behavior is typical of hognose snakes, so that might be the species you saw!
Caught one of these today
Released it obviously
Thank you for the identification of these snakes so I'll know not to kill it.
Please don’t kill any snake, regardless of what kind it is. All snakes are beneficial to us and we need them. All snakes will run from you and are more afraid of you then you are of them, regardless of the type. No snake will ever attack you, if you see a venomous snake and it’s around where children or pets play please call a licensed person to remove it to a safe place FOR THE SNAKE. PLEASE🙏🏼
You are so welcome, glad I could help!
@Noah-Joelle Aguilar good, I love Canada. ❤️
why are you killing snakes anyway
I have seen a dead garter snake on the road
O o f ;(
Found in St Augustine Florida
Wish I could send ya a pic it had a squirrel
I live in New York there awecom a don't bite at all
Yeah they are usually super docile!
I live in Texas
If you feed guppies to a garter snake, is it hazardous to the snake's health if you add tartar sauce to the water the guppies are in?
I think they prefer cocktail sauce
@@TheWildReportOfficial But do you know?
Male for that chunky one! 😍
I got bitten by one lol, named her veni-moose XD
-7:40 to -7:33. The snake with the wide open mouth and white inside the mouth is not a garter snake. It is a venomous Cottonmouth, aka Moccasin. It is not a garter snake. It is venomous.*
Also there is a splotchy coppery brown snake curled up. It is a Copperhead, another venomous snake. Just don’t want anyone to think they were other versions of a garter snake.
* repeated for emphasis
I like ther brown eyes
Chicken vs garter snake
Glad only have a few venomous snakes here in WNY. Think timber rattlers, copperhead and massasaguas. Never come across these in my entire life (knock knock knockin on wood). No thanks
I cant pick one of these up without it trying to biye me
Different individuals have different personalities just like people!
Do they eat mice and rats?
Mice yes, rats are usually too large.
i rip what i see and dont know in my back yard sorry got 3 kids and snake is a snake they aways strike at me im not a expert on snake so rip is you croos my path😢
I love them, but let me tell you, they can be cranky, and they bite HARD!
In my experience they really only get cranky when you frighten them, or when they have been recently been through crap. The only time I've been bitten by a snake was a garter I'd just taken away from some kids who were tormenting it. I could hardly blame the fellow, given the circumstances. I didn't enjoy the bites, but I'll take them over an angry bird bite any day.
@@birchtree2274 the only thing I can say is this: if you can feel their bite through a pair of thick, leather work gloves, then they bite really hard.
@@DdD-pi8jw They've got needle-like teeth. I would never bet against their ability to penetrate a glove, that's for sure.
Ben, you can find them in lower Alaska please research the fact. John
Woah I had no idea!
@@TheWildReportOfficial Did you get the pictures?
@@TheWildReportOfficial Loved the video my friend keep them coming!
They give me the creeps, totally repelled by them, when I see them in my yard, I always get started… hate them because they eat my frogs and toads.