This Central Valley serpent is California’s new state snake. Can recognition save it from extinction?
… [W]ith Newsom’s signature on SB 765 this week, another animal can now claim to also be an official part of the state identity: the giant garter snake. A semi-aquatic species that is considered one of North America‘s largest native snakes, with a maximum length of 64 inches, the nonpoisonous striped snake has historically thrived in natural wetlands along California’s Central Valley, from Chico down to Fresno. Unfortunately, the giant garter snake is becoming a casualty of California’s brutal cycle of droughts and habitat destruction — as much of the Central Valley converts to agriculture or infrastructure development. … To this point, it has managed to survive by inhabiting artificial waterways like irrigation, canals and rice fields.
Other wetland species news:
