Gopher Snake
Pituophis catenifer • Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Colubridae, Subfamily: Colubrinae, Genus: Pituophis, Species: P. catenifer
Native to western and central North America, ranging from Canada through the United States down into 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, with widespread populations and high adaptability, though local populations face threats from habitat fragmentation and road mortality.
Physical Description
Robust body with heavily keeled scales giving a textured appearance. Coloration is typically yellowish, tan, or light brown with dark brown, black, or reddish-brown blotches along the back and sides. The head is slightly distinct from the neck with dark bars across the prefrontal and ocular scales.
Size & Dimensions
Specimen in view is estimated around 2 to 3 feet; typical adults reach lengths of 4 to 7 feet (120 to 210 cm).
Habitat
Found in a wide variety of habitats including arid deserts, shrublands, grasslands, agricultural fields, and coniferous forests, from sea level up to high elevations.
Diet & Feeding
Preys primarily on small mammals such as rodents, rabbits, as well as birds, bird eggs, and occasionally lizards. Hunts by actively foraging and ambushing, subduing prey through constriction.
Reproduction
Oviparous species, females typically lay clutches ranging from 2 to 24 eggs in underground burrows or beneath rocks during late spring to early summer.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern, with widespread populations and high adaptability, though local populations face threats from habitat fragmentation and road mortality.
Cultural Significance
Plays a vital role in agricultural ecosystems as a natural predator of rodent pests, helping to control rodent populations.
Notable Features
Known for a dramatic display when threatened, which includes hissing loudly by forcing air through an epiglottal flap, flattening its head, and vibrating its tail rapidly in dry leaf litter to mimic a rattlesnake.