Garter snakes are some of the best-known snakes. But why are they called garter snakes? Well, they look a lot like an old-fashioned piece of clothing by the same name. Before stretchy socks were created in the 1930s, people wore garters to keep socks from sliding down. These garters often had striped or checkered patterns. So one story goes that when biologists were naming the snakes, they thought they looked like sock garters. Some people believe the name comes from a twist on the word “ga...
