Doug Hotle, curator of reptiles and amphibians at the BioPark, said one of the snakes found last month was a young female, which indicates the wild population is reproducing.

"Based on what we've seen so far, this is a very successful group of snakes living in ideal wetland habitat," he said. "We can do on-the-ground study to find out more about these rare garters and what their needs are here in New Mexico."

The snakes at the BioPark are expected to go on public display soon.

The northern Mexican garter snake is a candidate for federal endangered species protection. It was once found throughout Arizona, southwestern New Mexico and parts of Mexico. Scientists said it had been nearly 20 years since the last confirmed sighting of the snake in New Mexico.

Hotle said the discovery marks a huge step forward for his team.