Gophersnake
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, down into northern Mexico.
Look up Gophersnake 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, facing minor localized threats from habitat fragmentation, road mortality, and intentional persecution.
Physical Description
Characterized by a heavy-bodied build with a pattern of dark brown, black, or reddish-brown blotches along the back and smaller alternating spots on the sides, set against a yellowish, tan, or cream background. Scales are keeled, and the head is slightly distinct from the neck with a prominent rostral scale.
Size & Dimensions
The visible specimen appears to be approximately 3 to 4 feet in length. Typical adult size ranges from 36 to 72 inches (90 to 180 cm), with maximum records exceeding 8 feet.
Habitat
Found in a broad range of habitats including desert scrub, coastal chaparral, prairies, sagebrush plains, agricultural fields, and open woodlands, from sea level up to elevations of around 9,000 feet.
Diet & Feeding
Primarily preys on small mammals such as rodents, rabbits, and occasionally birds and their eggs. Utilizes constriction as a hunting strategy, actively foraging or ambushing prey in burrows.
Reproduction
Oviparous species, laying clutches typically ranging from 3 to 24 eggs in underground burrows or beneath rocks during late spring or early summer.
Look-alikes
Frequently confused with rattlesnakes due to similar coloration, blotched patterns, and defensive behaviors such as tail-shaking and hissing, but lacks the rattle, heat-sensing pits, and triangular head typical of rattlesnakes.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern, facing minor localized threats from habitat fragmentation, road mortality, and intentional persecution.
Cultural Significance
Plays a vital ecological role as an efficient natural predator for rodent populations in agricultural and wild ecosystems.
Notable Features
Known for dramatic defensive displays including inflating the body, hissing loudly by forcing air through a specialized epiglottal structure, flattening the head, and vibrating the tail in dry leaves to mimic a rattlesnake.