Common name: western ribbonsnake, orange-striped ribbonsnake
Scientific name: Thamnophis proximus
How to identify them
The western (orange-striped) ribbonsnakes are similar to the other gartersnakes, but they are very slender like eastern ribbonsnakes. The side (lateral) stripes on this snake are greenish-white and its belly is white. The snake's lower "lips" do not have any markings.
Where they live
There are less than a half dozen records of this endangered snake being seen in Wisconsin. All of them were seen in or next to open, mostly marshy, wetland habitat.
What they eat
This snake eats tadpoles, frogs that have just gone through metamorphosis, small salamanders, and fish.
Did you know?
Western ribbonsnakes are mostly diurnal, but they will hunt in ponds at night and during summer rains.