Gopher Snake / Pacific Gopher Snake
Pituophis catenifer (cf. Pituophis catenifer catenifer) • Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Colubridae, Subfamily: Colubrinae, Genus: Pituophis, Species: Pituophis catenifer
Widespread across western North America, ranging from southwestern Canada through the western United States (including California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Arizona, Idaho) down into northern Mexico.
Look up Gopher Snake / Pacific Gopher Snake in the Snake Encyclopedia →Family
Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Colubridae, Subfamily: Colubrinae, Genus: Pituophis, Species: Pituophis catenifer
Conservation
IUCN Red List: Least Concern (LC). Population is stable across most of its range, though individuals are frequently killed on roads or misidentified as rattlesnakes and killed by humans.
Physical Description
Straw-colored, light brown, or yellowish ground color patterned with dark brown, reddish-brown, or black square-like dorsal blotches that merge into bands near the tail. Keeled dorsal scales give the skin a slightly rough, dull appearance. Head is moderately distinct from the neck with a dark band stretching across the snout and between the eyes to the corner of the mouth.
Size & Dimensions
The visible specimen appears to be a medium-sized adult roughly 3 to 4 feet (90-120 cm) in length. Adult species size ranges typically from 3 to 6 feet (90-180 cm), with exceptional individuals reaching up to 7 feet (210 cm).
Habitat
Extremely adaptable, inhabiting coastal sage scrub, chaparral, pine-oak woodlands, grasslands, deserts, agricultural areas, and open montane forests from sea level up to over 2,500 meters (8,000 feet) elevation.
Diet & Feeding
Active foraging constrictor. Primary diet includes rodents (mice, rats, gophers, squirrels), small rabbits, birds, bird eggs, and occasionally lizards. Highly effective natural rodent controller.
Reproduction
Oviparous (egg-laying). Females lay clutches of 2 to 24 eggs typically in late spring or early summer, usually buried in loose soil, rodent burrows, or under rotting logs. Eggs hatch in late summer to early autumn.
Look-alikes
Frequently confused with the Western Rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus / Crotalus viridis). Distinguish by noting that gopher snakes have rounded pupils, a narrow head with smooth contours, keeled scales without a true rattle (tapered tail point), and lack facial heat-sensing pits.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List: Least Concern (LC). Population is stable across most of its range, though individuals are frequently killed on roads or misidentified as rattlesnakes and killed by humans.
Cultural Significance
Highly valued ecologically and by agricultural communities for its exceptional ability to control rodent pest populations. Often kept in human care due to its hardy nature.
Notable Features
Features a specialized flap of cartilage in the glottis (epiglottis) that amplifies its defensive hiss into a loud, raspy sound designed to mimic a defensive rattlesnake or large predator.
Notes
Snake