Critter: Black-necked garter snake

Call me: Black-necked garter snake, or Thamnophis cyrtopsis.

What a looker: My most distinguishing traits are the two large black spots just behind my head, on each side, that are separated by a white or pale yellow stripe. I also have a white crescent between blotches at the corner of the mouth. I am a brownish-green color with black stripes and two rows of spots that fade toward the end of my tail.

Home sweet home: I am common to the Sonoran Desert, although populations in the desert have been rapidly reduced in recent years due to habitat destruction. You can also find me in places from southeastern Utah all the way down to Guatemala. Small populations of my kind have been found in several places, including the Ajo Mountains.

Water, water, everywhere: I usually hang out near bodies of water because I am semi-aquatic. Sometimes during the rainy season, I wander a little farther away from my water source.

Feed me: I eat mostly smaller animals that I find in the water or surrounding areas such as: fish, frogs and their tadpoles, and sometimes small lizards and mammals.

Don't push me: If you threaten me, I can bite, defecate and give off a really bad smell to make you go away. But don't worry; I'm not deadly.