Vertebrates but not birds

Puget Sound garter snake Everyone knows what a garter snake looks like, right?  It turns out that there are many different species of garter snake, and then there are subspecies on top of that.  For example, here in British Columbia, there are three distinct species of garter snakes.  There is the western terrestrial garter snake, the northwestern garter snake, and the common garter snake.  I have caught each of them but sometimes have felt like there were more than just three species.  That is because, within a species, there may be two or more subspecies. A subspecies is a group of individuals belonging to a population, which is geographically isolated from other populations of the same species.  There typically are many differences between the different groups though.  Different subspecies may be able to interbreed if given the opportunity and produce viable offspring that are not sterile.  Genetically they are very close, but it is their...

Top:  Close up of speckled kingsnake     Bottom:  Eric holding it I have always been fascinated with kingsnakes.  As a child I used to hunt for snakes regularly in southern Ontario.  I only ever found garter snakes though, which was probably a good thing given the number of venomous ones there are in that neck of the woods.  I had never caught, little-lone seen a king snake.  They simply are not native to Canada, although you can buy them as pets from a variety of sources (check out kijiji).  Milksnakes, which are native to Ontario, are their closest relative and belong to the same family. I was fond of this particular kind of snake because it has a number of remarkable qualities.  The can grow to a respectable size (over six feet when fully grown).  They are not poisonous and have a relatively docile disposition.  There are at least 7 different species and sport a wide variety of colours, bands, and speckles.  ...