The Probert Encyclopaedia of Nature

GARTER SNAKE

Garter snake is a popular name for the non-venomous North American snakes of the genus Thamnophis of the family Colubridae. Typically they are marked with longitudinal stripes which resemble a garter, whence their name. Garter snakes eject a foul secretion from a gland near the anus when attacked or threatened, and are harmless to humans. Garter snakes are aquatic, living near to water and spending a good deal of time in it hunting by scent for insects, earthworms and amphibians (frogs, toads and salamanders).
Research Garter Snake