Easterns that I have met

[GarterGuy]

I'm not even really convinced that maritimes and easterns should be separate subspecies. honestly, I look at a maritime, and I look at an eastern without a stripe, and I see the same snake. what if the maritimes in their "stronghold" are actually just isolated easterns that have happened to favor a stripeless coloration?

Yeh I know....that's the problem with a lot of subspecies. I mean San Fran. garters could just be considered the "striped" phase of Cali. redsideds. They look almost exactly alike, except one has red bars and the other red stripes. A lot of subspecies are very "subject" and often they appear and vanish all the time.
I'd be very interested in hearing the results of the study, but very fearful at the same time. I love my Maritimes, but if the subspecies is found to not be valid, then I won't be able to keep and breed them here in PA any more....which would REALLY suck!

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

I love my Maritimes, but if the subspecies is found to not be valid, then I won't be able to keep and breed them here in PA any more....which would REALLY suck!

my hypo female I found looks identical to a maritime and not an eastern. even though she was found way outside maritime range. she also has 8 upper labial scales instead of 7. I have her and her four little ones. I live in PA so, if i ever have any problems... duh she's a maritime!