Gopher Snake (Bullsnake)
Pituophis catenifer • Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Colubridae, Subfamily: Colubrinae, Genus: Pituophis, Species: P. catenifer
Western and central North America, ranging from southwestern Canada down through the western United States into northern Mexico.
Look up Gopher Snake (Bullsnake) 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, as it has a wide distribution and generally stable populations, though local populations face threats from habitat loss and road mortality.
Physical Description
Features a yellowish, cream, or light brown background color overlaid with a series of dark brown, black, or reddish-brown blotches along the back and smaller spots on the sides. Scales are keeled.
Size & Dimensions
Typically ranges from 36 to 72 inches (90 to 180 cm) in total length, with maximum lengths exceeding 90 inches (225 cm).
Habitat
Found in a wide variety of habitats including deserts, prairies, scrublands, brush, coniferous forests, and agricultural fields, from sea level up to around 9,000 feet.
Diet & Feeding
Feeds primarily on small mammals such as rodents, rabbits, and gophers, as well as birds, eggs, and occasionally lizards. Relies on constriction to subdue prey.
Reproduction
Oviparous species that typically mates in spring, with females laying clutches of 2 to 24 eggs in underground burrows or beneath debris during summer.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern, as it has a wide distribution and generally stable populations, though local populations face threats from habitat loss and road mortality.
Cultural Significance
Highly beneficial ecologically for controlling rodent populations in agricultural and natural environments, though frequently mistaken for other snakes and killed.
Notable Features
Known for producing a loud, impressive hiss by forcing air through a specialized epiglottal flap when threatened, mimicking the sound of a rattlesnake.