dead Garter Snake ID

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SnakeDude
Posts: 417
Joined: July 14th, 2011, 9:18 am
Location: Denver, CO

dead Garter Snake ID

Post by SnakeDude »

This was a garter I found last summer dead by a pond in Parker CO. It's really oddly colored, even for a dead thamnophis in my area. I first thought radix but that just doesnt seem right. Maybe the pigment changed after death?

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Thanks,

Ian
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Chris Smith
Posts: 2291
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 9:13 pm
Location: Minnesota

Re: dead Garter Snake ID

Post by Chris Smith »

Pigment decay after death is common. It is often noted in gartersnakes and greensnakes (which can turn blue-ish after death).

-Chris
SnakeDude
Posts: 417
Joined: July 14th, 2011, 9:18 am
Location: Denver, CO

Re: dead Garter Snake ID

Post by SnakeDude »

So I assume you think it's radix? Just the pigment got a blueish hue after death?
Matt Cage
Posts: 128
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 1:04 pm
Location: Denver, CO

Re: dead Garter Snake ID

Post by Matt Cage »

100% radix, not elegans. I have never found any sirtalis south of about Hampden St. in Denver and it has been years since I've seen them that far south.
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