Replication Data for: "Operative temperatures of Eastern Garter Snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis) reveal a Goldilocks effect for habitat use"

We also used coverboards to survey the habitat usage of T. s. sirtalis. While the open canopy offered the highest thermal quality, we recorded the greatest number of snakes in the mixed shrub which had a considerably lower thermal quality. Since environmental temperatures regularly exceeded the upper thermal limit of T. s. sirtalis in the open canopy, snakes might favour the use of habitats that minimise the odds of overheating.

Therefore, open habitats potentially restrict snakes’ activity window and may not be thermally attractive. Our data show that T. s. sirtalis use habitats that vary in thermal quality, but this pattern is not as simple as warmer habitats are better. Rather, snakes preferentially seek areas that offer a mix of open and closed canopies to suit their thermoregulatory needs.