An Albino Garter Snake 
Nicholas P. Coad and Brian W. Coad 
Albinos occur occasionally in many species of vertebrates 
and are assumed to be the result of a chance mutation blocking 
synthesis of pigments such as melanin. The first clear record 
of albino Eastern Garter Snakes ( Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis ) 
for Ontario was made by Weller (1983) based on two specimens 
from a litter of 14 born to a captive female of normal pigmenta¬ 
tion taken at Moira Lake, Hastings County, in 1970. One of 
these specimens appears in a colour photograph in Froom (1972). 
No measurements or weights were taken, and neither snake was 
preserved. Dyrkacz (1981) reviewed recent instances of albinism 
in North American amphibians and reptiles, and recorded 17 
albino Garter Snakes, but again, most were not measured or 
preserved, and locality data were often vague. Good records, 
and specimens that vouch for the records, confirm that albinism 
occurred in a population at a given time. This knowledge is 
then available for future study in case someone wishes to pursue 
a study of abinism. One could search for years without finding 
albinos; a known locality may at least increase your chances! 
An albino Eastern Garter Snake was caught by Nicholas Coad 
under a rock in a grassy clearing among bushes in a field east 
of Copeland Park between Clyde Avenue and Merivale Road, Ottawa, 
on September 6, 1986. This area, owned by the federal govern¬ 
ment, is about to be sold for development. The albino has red 
eyes. Its body is flesh-coloured, but bears a thin, dorsal, 
bright yellow stripe and thicker, lateral, bright yellow stripes 
with a faint check pattern between them formed by white areas 
and background flesh colour. White areas can be seen on normal 
Garter Snakes from the region but are visible only when the skin 
is distended by deep breaths or large meals and at other times 
are masked by black pigment. The lip and nose scales and the 
dots on the parietal scales on the top of the head are yellow. 
The underside of the body has a yellow cast, but the chin is 
white. The tongue is red without a black tip. The specimen, 
measured on September 8, 1986, had a total length of 210 mm and 
a body length of 164 mm. It weighed 2.4 1 g. These figures 
compare well with normal Garter Snakes in the region and indi¬ 
cate a young individual born this year. The specimen is being 
maintained alive at the Herpetology Section, National Museum of 
Natural Sciences, and bears the catalogue number 28723.* 
The snake is a partial albino of a type retaining yellow 
pigment (or xanthophores). There are several subspecies of 
Garter Snakes that are recognized by their colour patterns. An 
albino, such as this specimen, could be of use in discovering 
* The snake was found dead on October 21, 1986. (M. Rankin) 
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