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 British Columbia south through Washington, Oregon, California, down into Mexico, and eastward into the Great Plains and parts of Canada.
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. While widespread and locally abundant, threats include habitat loss, fragmentation, and road mortality.
Physical Description
Displays a pattern of dark brown, black, or reddish-brown blotches on a background of yellowish, cream, or tan. The head is slightly distinct from the neck, and scales are keeled. It often has dark markings across the head and eyes.
Size & Dimensions
Specimens typically range from 90 to 180 cm (36 to 72 inches) in total length, with maximum lengths exceeding 210 cm (84 inches). This individual appears to be a medium-to-large adult.
Habitat
Found in a wide variety of habitats including deserts, prairies, scrublands, brush, chaparral, agricultural lands, and coniferous forests, from sea level up to elevations of around 9,000 feet.
Diet & Feeding
Predominantly feeds on small mammals like rodents, rabbits, and gophers, as well as birds, eggs, and occasionally lizards. Uses constriction to overpower and subdue prey.
Reproduction
Oviparous species that mates in spring. Females typically lay clutches of 3 to 24 eggs in underground burrows or beneath rocks and rotting logs during early summer, which hatch in late summer or early autumn.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern. While widespread and locally abundant, threats include habitat loss, fragmentation, and road mortality.
Cultural Significance
Valued in agricultural regions and ecosystems as a highly effective controller of rodent populations, playing an important role in natural pest management.
Notable Features
Known for a dramatic display that includes flattening its head, hissing loudly (aided by an epiglottal tracheal sleeve), and vibrating its tail rapidly in dry leaves to mimic rattlesnakes.