Scientific Name: Thamnophis cyrtopsis
Temporal Activity:  Diurnal, crepuscular, and sometimes active on warm nights.
Diet:  Feeds on aquatic or semi-aquatic prey such as fish, frogs, toads, tadpoles, worms, and salamanders; also eats lizards, small mammals, and birds. 
Predators:  Preyed upon by hawks, owls, coyotes, and ringtails.  As a defense they will bite, defecate, or emit a foul smelling musk.
Breeding:   Females will give birth to 6-18 live young in the summer.
Vegetation Association:  Can be found in or near water, in desert, or conifer forest.
Notes:   Garter snake numbers have been declining in the Sonoran Desert due to habitat loss and competition for food with introduced species such as bullfrogs and sunfish.   In the Sonoran Desert garter snakes are slender and grow up to 3 1/2 feet long. 
Photo:  To be added.

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