---
title: "Mexican Garter Snake"
description: "Thamnophis eques — Reptiles. The Mexican garter snake (Thamnophis eques) is a species of snake in the family Colubridae."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/animal/mexican-garter-snake
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Mexican Garter Snake

> Thamnophis eques — Reptiles. The Mexican garter snake (Thamnophis eques) is a species of snake in the family Colubridae.

- Scientific name: *Thamnophis eques*
- Category: `reptiles` (Reptiles)
- Habitats: `forest` (Forest), `freshwater` (Lakes & rivers), `desert` (Desert)
- iNaturalist observations: 1200
- Wikidata: [Q1535303](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1535303)
- iNaturalist taxon: [28406](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/28406)

## Names

- en: Mexican Garter Snake
- de: Mexikanische Strumpfbandnatter
- es: Culebra nómada de agua

## Countries with the most observations

MX (1043), US (46)

## Summary

The Mexican garter snake (Thamnophis eques) is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. It is found in Mexico and in the United States (Arizona and New Mexico). This harmless snake is semi-aquatic and most of the 10 recognized subspecies are restricted to lake basins in Mexico.
This snake ranges in habitat from deserts and sky island forests of Arizona and New Mexico to the thornscrub and rainforests of Mexico. One subspecies, the Lake Chapala garter snake (T. e. obscurus), is endemic to Lake Chapala.
This snake is a generalist carnivore, feeding on a wide variety of prey, such as lizards, frogs, toads, tadpoles…

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_garter_snake

## Photo

![Mexican Garter Snake](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/mexican-garter-snake/medium.jpg)

Photo: Sinaloa Silvestre · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/318767547

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/mexican-garter-snake?lang=en` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).