Pacific gopher snake, Henry snake, Coast gopher snake, bullsnake, Churchill's bullsnake, Oregon bullsnake, Pacific pine snake, Western bullsnake, Western gopher snake, Sonoran gopher snake, Western pine snake, Blow snake, Yellow gopher snake
The Gopher snake (Pituophis catenifer) is a species of nonvenomous colubrid snake endemic to North America. This snake is often mistaken for the Prairie rattlesnake but can be easily distinguished from a rattlesnake by the lack of black and white banding on its tail and by the shape of its head, which is narrower than a rattlesnake's.
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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PrecocialPrecocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
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FossorialA fossorial animal is one adapted to digging which lives primarily but not solely, underground. Some examples are badgers, naked mole-rats, clams, ...
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Island endemicIsland endemic animals are found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island. Animals or organisms that are indigenous to a place ar...
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OviparousOviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
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ArborealArboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some anima...
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PredatorPredators are animals that kill and eat other organisms, their prey. Predators may actively search for or pursue prey or wait for it, often conceal...
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PolygynandryPolygynandry is a mating system in which both males and females have multiple mating partners during a breeding season.
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Non-venomousSo
SolitaryNo
Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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HibernatingHibernation is a state of minimal activity and metabolic depression undergone by some animal species. Hibernation is a seasonal heterothermy charac...
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AestivationAestivation is a state of animal dormancy, similar to hibernation, although taking place in the summer rather than the winter. Aestivation is chara...
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starts withDorsally, these snakes are yellowish or pale brown, with a series of large, dark brown or black blotches, and smaller, dark spots on the sides. Ventrally, they are yellowish, either uniform or with brown markings. They also come in several morphs depending on the subspecies.
Gopher snakes are found from southern British Columbia south through all of western North America to Northern Mexico. These snakes live in a wide range of habitats including deserts, prairies, grasslands, savannas, shrublands and thickets, woodlands and forests, open coniferous forests, agricultural areas, and marshes.
Gopher snakes are primarily diurnal creatures but sometimes may be active at night during warm weather. They are solitary and live alone in their burrows which they dig themselves or in abandoned burrows of other mammals. They are ground-dwelling snakes but can climb well; they are very good swimmers and can hunt frogs in ponds. During the cold months of late fall and winter, Gopher snakes hibernate underground. They have a unique defensive mechanism, in which they puff up their body and curl themselves into the classic strike pose of a pit viper. However, rather than delivering an open-mouthed strike, Gopher snakes may strike with a closed mouth, using their blunt nose to "warn off" possible predators. Also, they often shake their tail, confusing predators into thinking it is a rattlesnake. This works best when the snake is in dry leaves or on gravel. Gopher snakes can also produce a loud hiss when agitated or fearful. However, they are nonvenomous, generally good-natured, and not harmful to humans.
Gopher snakes are carnivorous. Their diet consists of small mammals, such as gophers, rabbits, ground squirrels, and voles but also birds and their eggs. They will occasionally hunt lizards, frogs, insects, and even bats.
Gopher snakes are polygynandrous (promiscuous) and both males and females mate with multiple partners. They usually breed from June to August. Females lay 2-24 eggs in burrows which they excavate in the soil beneath large rocks or logs, or they may use small mammal burrows. Eggs are incubated around 65-75 days. The young are completely independent at hatching and don't need parental care. Females usually become reproductively mature between 3 and 5 years of age while males reach maturity when they are 1-2 years old.
There are no major threats to Gopher snakes at present.
According to IUCN, the Gopher snake is locally common and widespread throughout its range but no overall population estimate is available. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are stable.
Gopher snakes are important to the ecosystem they live in as due to their diet habits they act as important predators of small mammals including pest rodents.
