Study
Aggregation and social interaction in garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis)
Skinner, Morgan; Miller, Noam
Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 2020
Groups of individually marked garter snakes were housed in arenas with multiple shelters and filmed. Between trials the animals were removed, the arena cleaned and the snakes redistributed, so that any structure in who grouped with whom could not be explained by scent left in place or by simply returning to a preferred spot.
- Studied in
- Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis
- Sample size
- 40 eastern garter snakes observed in groups
Snakes formed aggregations that were larger and more consistent than random association predicts, and individuals showed repeatable preferences for particular partners across trials in which position and scent had been reset. Individuals also differed consistently in how sociable they were.
What it means
The authors' reading, and ours. Where they differ, that difference is the point.
How the authors put it
Garter snakes show social aggregation with individual preferences, comparable in structure to social behaviour described in mammals and birds.
How NatureHQ reads it
The controls are what make this worth citing: shuffling positions and cleaning the arena removes the two boring explanations — a good corner, and a smell left behind. What remains is a preference for particular others. The wording to avoid is "snakes have friends", which imports a great deal the study does not test. What was measured is non-random, repeatable association, which is the first thing you would need to demonstrate before anything richer could be discussed, and it is genuinely surprising in an animal long described as asocial.
- One subspecies, in captivity, in an arena with a fixed number of shelters.
- Repeatable association is the beginning of a social-structure claim, not the end of one.
- Aggregation may serve thermoregulation or predator avoidance without implying a relationship.
Ruling out the good corner and the leftover smell
When snakes are found together, is that a preference for each other or a preference for the same spot?
What this study is used for on NatureHQ
One study can inform several subjects. Here is everywhere this one is cited.
Published by: Springer journalsPublished in a Springer journal.
doi.org/10.1007/s00265-020-2827-0
This reference was resolved automatically against Crossref on 2026-08-11.
NatureHQ summarises research in its own words and does not reproduce published text. Reviewed 2026-08-11.