Well, the snake is not a garter snake. I asked Hal and Jeanette what it was. Hal said it was a bull snake. So I went on the Internet to check out what a bull snake looks like. There are many different looking ones, but none like ours. Same result with garter snakes as well. Finally I checked out snakes in the Okanagan and after looking at many photos of snakes, I found it.
It is a Western Yellow Bellied Racer and they are on the blue list which means endangered. They are not venomous. They can be aggressive if cornered and will defend themselves. They are active during the day as opposed to at night normally for most snakes. They have large eyes with excellent vision and are very fast, hence the name Racer.
They belong to the constrictor family, but do not constrict their prey. They bite it and wrestle it down and eat it as quickly as possible. The juveniles eat bugs like crickets, grasshoppers etc. and the adults hunt mice, voles, frogs and sometimes birds etc. as well as bugs.
The environmental agency requests a report be submitted for any sightings, so we did. We will email a picture today.
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