Western Terrestrial Garter Snake
Thamnophis elegans
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassSquamata
- FamilyColubridae (Colúbrids)
- GenusThamnophis (Garter Snakes)
- SpeciesThamnophis elegans (Western Terrestrial Garter Snake)
Closest Relatives at Yosemite National Park
Western Aquatic Garter Snake
Thamnophis couchii
Common Garter Snake
Thamnophis sirtalis
California Mountain Kingsnake
Lampropeltis zonata
Gopher Snake
Pituophis catenifer
Striped Racer
Masticophis lateralis
Ringneck Snake
Diadophis punctatus
Sharp-tailed Snake
Contia tenuis
North American Racer
Coluber constrictor
Coast Night Snake
Hypsiglena ochrorhynchus
California King Snake
Lampropeltis californiae
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grand Teton National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Yellowstone National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Rocky Mountain National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Glacier National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Zion National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Redwood National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Yosemite National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Banff National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 10 | Jasper National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 11 | Great Bear Rainforest | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 12 | Grand Canyon National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 13 | Olympic National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 14 | Pacific Rim National Park Reserve | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 15 | Channel Islands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Western Terrestrial Garter Snake in Yosemite National Park?
About 21% of visitor-days record a Western Terrestrial Garter Snake sighting in Yosemite National Park, based on 102 observer-days of citizen-science data from GBIF.
When is the best time to see Western Terrestrial Garter Snake in Yosemite National Park?
August has the highest sighting rate for Western Terrestrial Garter Snake in Yosemite National Park in our monthly data.