New garter - I just couldn't help myself

[EasternGirl]

Nobby is a beautiful snake. Nobby is a perfect name...yes, lol...considering the long thread and all the debating over the species! Is the scale count consistent with that of parietalis, Steve?

[chris-uk]

Good looking snake Chris.

Tried to do a scale count. This is what I came up with:

Lateral rows 2 & 3
Dorsal scale count of 17 or 18 (?)
7 Supralabials

I make it:
Keeled scales.
19 lateral rows (depending which point along the snake I count at I occasionally get 17, but 19 at a head length behind the head), with the dorsal stripe confined to 1.5 scales and lateral stripe confined to row 2 and 3.
7 Supralabials.

Which according to page 260 of The Garter Snakes - Evolution and Ecology, fits a sirtalis. Unfortunately scale count only gets us to the species and not a sub-species (unless anyone knows better?).

[EasternGirl]

Right...and parietalis fits under the species of sirtalis...that's all I could find in the book too...the sirtalis count...I couldn't find subspecies counts. I remember from Steve...if I remember correctly, that easterns have 7 supralabials...and radix have 8? Maybe...But I don't know what red-sided garters have...

[EasternGirl]

Yep...easterns have 7. Just counted Cee Cee's.

[PINJOHN]

I said I'd get some better photos, so here's some from this evening (unfortunately not in good daylight, but at least taken with the camera on macro, as opposed to quick camera shots).
You can see that there is absolutely no pattern in the black stripes. Colour-wise, I'd described the dorsal stripe as being more grey than anything, in better light there is a yellow tinge to it. There's definitely no red, even between the scales.

Anyway, the photos (click to enlarge):











Hope you like Nobby, s/he's a good looking snake. Unfortunately the vent photos I tried weren't any better than the one I've already posted. I think we'll let Nobby grow a bit before we try with new photos.

​parietalis

[EasternGirl]

The consensus has spoken.

[chris-uk]

The consensus has spoken.

Are you calling John a consensus? Hey! John! Marnie just called you a consensus.

[PINJOHN]

Are you calling John a consensus? Hey! John! Marnie just called you a consensus.

well...my dads bigger than her dad

[EasternGirl]

I find that very hard to believe...my father is a bit of a hippo. Don't worry, that's not disrespectful...well, maybe to the hippos.

[PINJOHN]

I find that very hard to believe...my father is a bit of a hippo. Don't worry, that's not disrespectful...well, maybe to the hippos.

as you brought up the subject did you hear about the two jungle friends elephant Ella and and hippo heather who went to the local wild animal ball, after arriving heather was approached by a rhinoceros who asked her to dance while dancing he asked her name she told him and in return she ask him his name, "its Neil" he replied whereupon she fainted this of course caused quite a stir and water was brought to revive the distressed hippo, when she came around Ella asked just what had caused the swoon I could not help it replied heather.... i have just been dancing with rhino Neil