Range and Expansion: The maritime garter snake resembles the closely related eastern garter but can be differentiated by colouration and range. The maritime garter snake tends to be duller in colour and more likely to display brown colouration compared to other subspecies. While physical differences are subjective, the most accurate method of identification is to look at their range. Maritime garter snakes can be found in much of Quebec, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and the Maritime Provinces of Canada. Up until recently, the maritime garter snake could not be found in Newfoundland, the cold water currents from the north would kill any transient individuals or send them further south, keeping the island void of reptiles. Snakes eventually colonized the island however by being introduced by people. Its been suggested that these snakes were introduced to Newfoundland as stowaways in farming equipment and hay bails with many breeding populations poping up throughout the province. Many worry however that these introduced predators will threaten the local meadow vole populations, a subspecies unique to the island.
Sources:
Minty, Dennis. "Why are There no Snakes on the Island of Newfoundland?" Adventure Canada, 11 Aug. 2020, www.adventurecanada.com/newfoundland-and-labrador/why-are-there-no-snakes-on-the-island-of-newfoundland. Accessed 26 Jan. 2022. Powell, Robert, et al. Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America. 4th ed., Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 2016. "Snakes Found Breeding in Western Nfld." CBC News, 30 Sept. 2010, www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/snakes-found-breeding-in-western-nfld-1.931515. Accessed 26 Jan. 2022. |