What Do Garter Snakes Eat? Garter snakes can be found slithering through grasslands, wetlands and gardens. They are intriguing and play an important role in their habitat. Here, we will discover its dietary habits and learn more about it.
Dietary Diversity
The garter snakes are known to be opportunistic feeder that showcases its several diets that makes it adapt easily to its environment. Their diets vary from fish, small rodents, birds or bird’s eggs.
Insectivorous Appetite
A very important diet of the garter snake is insects. They posses the skill to locate and capture several insects ranging from grasshoppers, crickets, beetles and caterpillars.
Their movement which is usually agile, make them hunt efficiently for preys.
Amphibian Ambush
The garter snakes are also well known for their consumption of amphibians and this includes frogs, toads and newts.
The hunting strategy for amphibians involves patience and the garter snakes waiting for the amphibians near water sources. Its jaw helps it consume large prey.
Earthworms and Slugs
Earthworms are also consumed by the garter snake. The garter snakes have a fondness for earthworms which provides a nutritious food source. Slugs are also their favorite and this showcases its ability to adapt to its environment.
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Fish and Water Creatures
Garter snakes also have an appetite for an aquatic prey. When they stay close to water, fish, tadpoles and aquatic invertebrates become their targets. Since they can swim, this aids them in capturing their prey from their aquatic habitats.
Cannibalistic Tendencies
The garter snake posses a cannibalistic tendency as a larger garter snake may prey on a smaller member of their own specie. This happens most times during competition for resources or mating opportunities.
Conclusion
The habits of a garter snake as regards to diet is as an adaptability to its immediate surrounding. From small mammals to earthworms and even from insects to amphibians, the garter snake plays an important role in maintaining its ecological balance.