Gopher Snake
Pituophis catenifer • Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Colubridae, Subfamily: Colubrinae, Genus: Pituophis, Species: P. catenifer
Found widely across North America, ranging from southwestern Canada through the western and central United States down 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
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern, though localized populations face threats from habitat fragmentation, road mortality, and intentional killing.
Physical Description
Displays a patterned series of dark brown, black, or reddish-brown blotches along a lighter yellowish, tan, or gray background. It has keeled scales, a somewhat distinct head broader than the neck, and rounded pupils.
Size & Dimensions
This pictured specimen appears to be a juvenile, roughly 1 to 1.5 feet long. Adults typically reach lengths of 3 to 7 feet (90 to 210 cm).
Habitat
Occupies a diverse range of habitats including deserts, prairies, scrublands, brush, chaparral, agricultural lands, and open coniferous forests, from sea level up to around 9,000 feet.
Diet & Feeding
Preys primarily on small mammals such as mice, voles, gophers, and rats, as well as birds, bird eggs, and occasionally lizards. It is an active forager and constriction specialist.
Reproduction
Oviparous species that mates in spring, with females depositing clutches typically ranging from 3 to 24 eggs in underground burrows or under rocks during summer.
Look-alikes
Frequently confused with rattlesnakes due to its similar coloration and defensive behavior of hissing and tail-shaking, but lacks the rattle and heat-sensing facial pits.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern, though localized populations face threats from habitat fragmentation, road mortality, and intentional killing.
Cultural Significance
Provides substantial ecological value as a natural predator of agricultural rodent pests, benefiting farmers and helping control small mammal populations.
Notable Features
Known for a dramatic defensive display when cornered, which includes inflating the body, flattening the head, hissing loudly, and vibrating the tail rapidly in dry leaves to mimic a rattlesnake.