Giant Gartersnake
Thamnophis gigas
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- T. gigas – Yolo Co, CA – photo by Gary Nafis – Specimen Courtesy of USGS
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- Map by Steve Bledsoe, SWCHR
DISTRIBUTION: In our region, Thamnophis gigas occurs in California from Glenn County, to the southern edge of the San Francisco Bay Delta, and from Merced County to northern Fresno County.
LEGAL STATUS: Thamnophis gigas is protected in California and listed as a Threatened Species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the California Endangered Species Act (CESA).
MEANING OF SCIENTIFIC NAME: Thamnophis gigas (Fitch – 1940)
Genus: Thamnophis, Greek – thamnos = shrub or bush + ophis = snake, serpent
Species: gigas, Latin = giant, immense
Ref. Ellen Beltz 2006
Ref. E. Jaeger 1962