Giant Garter Snake vs. Sierra Garter Snake

The owner's pair: both live in the Central Valley, where their records overlap. A: Dull yellow or orange, often faint in the Giant Garter Snake; faint or missing in the Sierra Garter Snake. B: Side stripes faint; two rows of dark checks in the Giant Garter Snake; checkered, the side stripe faint in the Sierra Garter Snake. The Giant Garter Snake is the biggest garter (to 5 ft) and lives in marshes, sloughs and rice-field canals; it is threatened, so do not handle it.

Photographs via iNaturalist under Creative Commons licences; the photographers are credited on the sheet.

More comparisons

• Giant Garter Snake vs. Common Garter Snake
• Giant Garter Snake vs. Western Terrestrial Garter Snake
• Giant Garter Snake vs. Aquatic Garter Snake
• Sierra Garter Snake vs. Western Terrestrial Garter Snake
• Sierra Garter Snake vs. Common Garter Snake
• Sierra Garter Snake vs. Two-striped Garter Snake
• Sierra Garter Snake vs. Aquatic Garter Snake

Wildsight identifies the reptiles and amphibians of the United States. Every comparison