Gopher Snake
Pituophis catenifer • Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Colubridae, Subfamily: Colubrinae, Genus: Pituophis, Species: P. catenifer
Widely distributed throughout western North America, ranging from southwestern Canada, through the western United States, and into northern Mexico.
Look up Gopher Snake in the Snake Encyclopedia →Family
Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Colubridae, Subfamily: Colubrinae, Genus: Pituophis, Species: P. catenifer
Conservation
Listed as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List, though local populations face threats from habitat fragmentation, road mortality, and intentional killing.
Physical Description
Exhibits a pattern of dark blotches (brown, black, or reddish-brown) over a lighter yellowish, cream, or gray background. The head is slightly distinct from the neck with a rounded snout, and the scales are keeled. A prominent dark stripe typically runs from the eye to the angle of the jaw.
Size & Dimensions
Estimated specimen length is approximately 3 to 4 feet. Total typical adult size ranges from 36 to 72 inches, with exceptional individuals growing larger.
Habitat
Found in a diverse range of habitats including deserts, coastal areas, prairies, brushlands, coniferous forests, and agricultural lands, from sea level up to elevations of around 9,000 feet.
Diet & Feeding
Primarily feeds on small mammals such as mice, rats, gophers, and voles, as well as birds, eggs, and occasionally lizards. Utilizes an active foraging and constriction strategy to subdue prey.
Reproduction
Oviparous species that mates in the spring and typically lays clutches ranging from 3 to 24 eggs in underground burrows or beneath debris during summer.
Look-alikes
Frequently confused with various rattlesnake species due to its similar blotched dorsal pattern and defensive behaviors such as tail-shaking and hissing. Distinguished primarily by the lack of a rattle, narrower head shape, and round pupils.
Conservation Status
Listed as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List, though local populations face threats from habitat fragmentation, road mortality, and intentional killing.
Cultural Significance
Plays a vital ecological role as an efficient natural controller of rodent populations in agricultural and wild ecosystems.
Notable Features
Known for dramatic defensive displays when threatened, including inflating its body, hissing loudly by forcing air through a specialized epiglottis, flattening its head, and vibrating its tail rapidly in dry leaves to mimic a rattlesnake.