COLUMBUS, OH - More than 50 endangered Eastern plains garter snakes will be released on Monday, July 29, at Killdeer Plains State Wildlife Area in Wyandot County as part of a joint restoration project between the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife, Westerville North High School, the Columbus Zoo & Aquarium and the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.
The Eastern plains garter snake is a docile, non-venomous snake that was designated as a state endangered species in 1974 due to habitat loss. The snakes once lived throughout the prairies of Wyandot and Marion counties but today are found only at Killdeer Plains State Wildlife Area.
Without the hard work of our partners who raised the snakes at the Columbus and Cleveland zoos, and the surveys of wild snakes by Westerville North High School students, this project would have been impossible to undertake, said Mike Budzik, chief of ODNRs Division of Wildlife.
In 1998, the ODNR Division of Wildlife started a recovery program for the Eastern plains garter snake. Intensive surveys to assess the snakes current population at Killdeer Plains State Wildlife Area were conducted annually. Pregnant snakes were collected in 1999 and 2000 to establish a captive breeding colony and learn more about the snakes biology.
Our partners commitment to this recovery effort has really paid dividends with this first release of captive snakes born last month at the Columbus Zoo. We anticipate releasing more young snakes born at both zoos in the coming years, said Budzik.
The Eastern plains garter snake is found in a contiguous zone from western Indiana to New Mexico and north to central Alberta, Canada. The only other known population is the unconnected colony found in Ohios Wyandot County.
The Eastern plains garter snake (Thamnophis radix) is active during daytime hours and is normally less aggressive than the common Ohio garter snake, (Thamnophis sirtalis ). Instead of biting, the Eastern plains garter snake often expels a foul smelling musk to ward off potential predators.
Adults average in size from 15 to 28 inches and have five to 60 young per year, normally born from July to September. They typically feed on frogs, salamanders and small rodents.
The Eastern plains garter snake recovery effort is funded through the ODNR Division of Wildlifes Endangered Species & Wildlife Diversity Program and by the Columbus and Cleveland Zoos.