IMG_6431_Ticked off juvenile gopher snake...
... Pretending it's a rattlesnake by flattening its head. This display was put on briefly after I picked him up twice, keeping it from slithering out into traffic. When its display didn't impress me, it turned around and returned into roadside grasses -- a much safer place.
Pituophis catenifer catenifer
The Latin name "catenifer" means "Chain-bearing, referring to the pattern on its back.
Gopher snakes are known to be rattlesnake mimics: when threatened, they will often vibrate their tails in dry brush or leaves, making a rattling sound. They will also flatten their heads so as to resemble rattlesnakes more closely.
Gopher snake akas include: Pacific gopher snake, coast gopher snake, bull snake, Churchill's bull snake, Oregon bull snake, Pacific pine snake, western bull snake, western gopher snake, Sonoran gopher snake, western pine snake. These are all terms for the species P. cantenifer, but some names refer to different subspecies. P. cantenifer catenifer is the only subspecies to occur in our area.
Gopher snakes are one of the best forms of natural rodent control there is (possibly on par with raptors), so it is a shame that they are often killed by people thinking they are rattlesnakes. For that matter, the killing of rattlesnakes is a shame as well. Gopher snakes will deviate from this diet, and also eat other reptiles, from fence lizards to other snakes, occasionally including rattlesnakes (unlike king snakes, they are not immune to rattlesnake venom). Gopher snakes are constrictors.
IMG_6431_Ticked off juvenile gopher snake...
... Pretending it's a rattlesnake by flattening its head. This display was put on briefly after I picked him up twice, keeping it from slithering out into traffic. When its display didn't impress me, it turned around and returned into roadside grasses -- a much safer place.
Pituophis catenifer catenifer
The Latin name "catenifer" means "Chain-bearing, referring to the pattern on its back.
Gopher snakes are known to be rattlesnake mimics: when threatened, they will often vibrate their tails in dry brush or leaves, making a rattling sound. They will also flatten their heads so as to resemble rattlesnakes more closely.
Gopher snake akas include: Pacific gopher snake, coast gopher snake, bull snake, Churchill's bull snake, Oregon bull snake, Pacific pine snake, western bull snake, western gopher snake, Sonoran gopher snake, western pine snake. These are all terms for the species P. cantenifer, but some names refer to different subspecies. P. cantenifer catenifer is the only subspecies to occur in our area.
Gopher snakes are one of the best forms of natural rodent control there is (possibly on par with raptors), so it is a shame that they are often killed by people thinking they are rattlesnakes. For that matter, the killing of rattlesnakes is a shame as well. Gopher snakes will deviate from this diet, and also eat other reptiles, from fence lizards to other snakes, occasionally including rattlesnakes (unlike king snakes, they are not immune to rattlesnake venom). Gopher snakes are constrictors.