It has some degree of red or orange-red skin that shows along its sides. While generally shy and withdrawing, a garter snake will bite if you accidentally step on them. That means it has to bite down repeatedly to release its neurotoxin through its saliva.

Second, while garter snakes … As such, the way that the garter snake releases their venom is through chewing. Another subspecies, the red-sided gartersnake (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis), is found in the western half of the state. Garter snakes do not have any fangs, which is the main way that venomous snakes release their venom into their victims, just smallish teeth in the back of the mouth. First, most people are startled and frightened when they encounter a snake while outdoors. It is estimated between 1.2 and 5.5 million people get bitten by snakes each year around the world, with the largest number of bites coming from non-venomous snakes. Like many kinds of harmless snakes, gartersnakes will bite to defend themselves.