Sierra garter snake | |
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Thamnophis couchii being handled by a naturalist on the banks of the Middle Tuolumne River in the Sierra Nevada. | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Squamata |
Suborder: | Serpentes |
Family: | Colubridae |
Genus: | Thamnophis |
Species: | T. couchii
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Binomial name | |
Thamnophis couchii (
Kennicott, 1859)
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Synonyms [2] | |
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Thamnophis couchii, commonly known as Couch's garter snake, the Sierra garter snake, or the western aquatic garter snake, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to the western United States.
The specific name couchii is in honor of Darius Nash Couch, who was a U.S. Army officer and a naturalist. [3]
T. couchii is native to California and Oregon in the United States. [2]
The preferred natural habitats of T. couchii are freshwater wetlands and permanent or temporary bodies of water in grassland, shrubland, and forest. [1]
T. couchii is highly aquatic. [1]
T. couchii is viviparous. [2]