Is the Ahumada’s Alpine Garter Snake venomous?

No. The Ahumada’s Alpine Garter Snake (Thamnophis ahumadai) is non-venomous and is not considered dangerous to humans. Like most snakes, it will retreat rather than bite when given the chance.

Is the Ahumada’s Alpine Garter Snake poisonous?

Snakes are venomous, not poisonous. "Poisonous" means harmful to eat or touch; "venomous" means injecting toxins through a bite. The Ahumada’s Alpine Garter Snake is neither poisonous nor venomous.

Is the Ahumada’s Alpine Garter Snake dangerous?

The Ahumada’s Alpine Garter Snake is not dangerous to humans. It has no medically significant venom and bites only defensively if cornered or handled.

Garter / Ribbon snake

Ahumada’s Alpine Garter Snake

Harmless

Thamnophis ahumadai

The Ahumada’s Alpine Garter Snake (Thamnophis ahumadai) is a non-venomous snake in the Colubridae family.

Also called: Garter / Ribbon snake
Family: Colubridae
Size: Slender, 1.5–3 ft.
Habitat: Almost anywhere with moisture — gardens, fields, wetlands, and streamsides.
Behavior: Harmless and active by day; may release musk if handled. The most commonly seen snakes across most of the U.S.
Identify: Slender body with three light stripes running the length of a darker back.

About the Ahumada’s Alpine Garter Snake

The Ahumada’s Alpine Garter Snake belongs to the Colubridae family, colubrids. The largest snake family, and the one most snakes you meet belong to.

Colubridae is by far the biggest family of snakes, with roughly two thousand species worldwide. It is a catch-all of mostly slender, agile, day-active snakes: ratsnakes, kingsnakes, gartersnakes, watersnakes, racers, whipsnakes, and hundreds more. The vast majority are harmless to people and kill prey by grabbing or constricting rather than with venom.

Its genus, Thamnophis, covers garter snakes. Garter and ribbon snakes are the small striped colubrids most North Americans meet first. They are widespread, harmless in any practical sense, and a familiar sight in gardens and near water.

The Ahumada’s Alpine Garter Snake is non-venomous and harmless to people. Like most snakes it is a quiet predator that helps keep rodents and other small prey in check. Slender body with three light stripes running the length of a darker back.

Slender, 1.5–3 ft. Almost anywhere with moisture — gardens, fields, wetlands, and streamsides.

Field-guide summary compiled from taxonomy and verified occurrence records. Detailed natural-history notes for this species are still being added.

Frequently asked: Ahumada’s Alpine Garter Snake

Is the Ahumada’s Alpine Garter Snake venomous?: No. The Ahumada’s Alpine Garter Snake (Thamnophis ahumadai) is non-venomous and is not considered dangerous to humans. Like most snakes, it will retreat rather than bite when given the chance.
Is the Ahumada’s Alpine Garter Snake poisonous?: Snakes are venomous, not poisonous. "Poisonous" means harmful to eat or touch; "venomous" means injecting toxins through a bite. The Ahumada’s Alpine Garter Snake is neither poisonous nor venomous.
Is the Ahumada’s Alpine Garter Snake dangerous?: The Ahumada’s Alpine Garter Snake is not dangerous to humans. It has no medically significant venom and bites only defensively if cornered or handled.
How do I identify the Ahumada’s Alpine Garter Snake?: Slender body with three light stripes running the length of a darker back.
How big does the Ahumada’s Alpine Garter Snake get?: Slender, 1.5–3 ft.

More Colubridae snakes

Classification

How scientists group this snake, from the broadest category down to the exact species. Each step narrows to its closest relatives.

OrderThe broad group of scaled reptiles: all snakes and lizards: Squamata
FamilyA group of related snakes that share key traits: Colubridae
GenusA close-knit group of very similar species: Thamnophis
SpeciesThis exact snake, named in the two-part scientific name: Thamnophis ahumadai

Keep learning

Distribution from GBIF & iNaturalist. Venom status per CDC. Informational only. Never handle a snake to identify it.