San Francisco Garter Snakes are one of the most beautiful serpents in North America. They have a wide dorsal stripe of greenish-yellow, edged with black, bordered on each side by a broad red stripe bordered by a blackone. Its belly is greenish-blue, and the top of the head is red. It has relatively large eyes. Adults range from 1 1/2 to 3 feet long, and are slender.

The San Francisco garter snake lives in the western portion of the San Francisco peninsula, from around the San Francisco county line south crest of hills at least to Crystal Lake, and along coast to point Ana Nuevo, San Mateo County, California. They live mainly in ponds, marshes, roadside ditches, streams, meadows, and city lots. They tend to stay near the water.

There food source consists of fish, toads, frogs, tadpoles, salamanders, birds, small mammals, earthworms, slugs, and leeches.

The San Francisco Garter Snake tend to stay near the water, entering it when frightened. They are a spirited snake, that defends itself energetically when captured. When caught, it often bites and smears its captor with excrement and odorous contents of its anal scent glands. The young are born in broods that average around one or two dozen.

Encroaching development in their habitat, and underwater channeling of water sources, threaten the San Francisco garter snake.