Why do most Americans know the garter snakes?

We often pass on little bits of information to our children, not knowing if they are true, and only because they were passed on to us. This is usually how myths spread. Many myths about snakes exist, and it can be fun to try and figure out how these stories originated. One common and colorful myth is that the well-known garter snake swallows its young to save them from danger. The daily customs of these snakes are well known in the United States because they tend to reside in parks and gardens. They like to live among greenery and in areas well surrounded by plant life. Many children as well as adults enjoy observing these creatures because they see them quite often. Like all snakes, the garter swallows its food whole. Unlike most snakes, on the other hand, the garter gives birth to live offspring, in litters of approximately fifty. I hypothesize that our ancestors, while observing the garter snakes, assumed that the snake had previously gulped down its little ones to protect them and was now setting them free again. Unable to challenge the power of this creative myth, this imaginative folklore continues to persist in American daily life.