The gopher snake is found from southern Canada, as far south as southern Sinaloa and Veracruz in Mexico.
On account of their wide distribution, the gopher snake is located in a huge variety of habitats, such as hills, woodlands, coniferous woods, cultivated areas, prairies, grassland and forest borders, chaparral and shrublands. The species is found from sea level to over 2700 meters (9000 ft) in elevation.
The species and its many sub-species are known by many common names such as pine snake, bull snake, Henry snake, Pacific gopher snake, shore gopher snake, Pacific pine snake, bull snake, Sonoran gopher snake, Churchill’s bull snake, Oregon bull snake, western bull snake, western gopher snake, western pine snake and yellowish gopher snake.
Gopher snakes can liven up the entire body and curl themselves in the timeless”S” attack pose of a pit viper as a defensive mechanism. Their tails will also quickly shake, mimicking rattlesnakes such as the Mojave rattlesnake. They do such a great job that people kill many as though they were rattlesnakes.
Gopher snakes have been famous for dramatic with a closed mouthusing its blunt nose to”frighten off” possible predators. These are large snakes, but even sothey can inflict a very painful bite if handled or plagued.
Even though a captive gopher snake dwelt over 33 years that their own life expectancy in the wild is typically 12 to 15 decades. Adult gopher snakes reach a span anywhere from 36 to 108 inches (91 to 275 cm).
The top body is grey, light brown to yellow, with a run of large black or dark brownish blotches, and smaller dark areas on the sides.
The stomach is usually a uniform white to yellowish colour, but occasionally it may have brown markings. They’ve a head with big eyes and narrow neck, keeled scales in the body and a single scale that was anal.
The species color patterns will change regionally to mimic the colors of the surroundings. The most gopher snake predators incorporate foxes, hawks and coyotes and large king snakes.
These are lone snakes, residing independently in dens or alternative decent shelters all year, except during the mating season.
Subspecies
Just like with a number of other snake species now, scientists do not agree upon a uniform classification for the species. You can find up to 11 subspecies understood, with several subspecies proposed representing the island inhabitants, and a few have been suggested to achieve a complete species status.
These are the most frequently accepted subspecies currently understood.
Bullsnake (Pituophis catenifer sayi) – Located throughout central and western North America, such as the US Canada’s British Columbia and northern Mexico. Click here to discover more about this bullsnake.
San Diego gopher snake (Pituophis catenifer annectens) – Found in the southwest regions of the USA and in the north of Mexico.
Pacific gopher snake (Pituophis catenifer catenifer) – Located in America, west of the Cascade Range in Oregon, south to California, west of the Sierra Nevada into northern Santa Barbara County and the Tehachapi Mountains.
Santa Cruz gopher snake (Pituophis catenifer pumilis) – Found only in the 96 square miles (248 km2) Santa Cruz Island, located just 25 miles from the coast of Santa Barbara, California. This was the biggest privately owned island in the united states.
Coronado Island gopher snake (Pituophis catenifer coronalis) – Found only to a little number of Mexican Islands called the”Islas De Los Coronados” which translates to Crown Islands or Crowned Islands in English. In the US that these islands situated about 26 miles away from the San Diego’s west shore are called Coronado Islands.
Feeding
The gopher snake is a constrictor, and their diet is made up largely of mammals such as mice, moles, gophers, chipmunks, squirrels and smaller rabbits. Sometimes rodents, birds, insects, lizards, birds, birds, birds, little snakes and even rattlesnakes are also eaten.
In some portions of their scope, these snakes feed largely on gophers thus their common name”gopher snake”. The gopher snake searches for prey in hiding areas and their burrows and they will take possession of some burrow after eating and murdering its inhabitants.
Once the gopher snake reaches its prey, it swallows it whole, and at times takes up to a week to digest it.
Reproduction
The gopher snake breeding season occurs in July and August when females emit substances through their skin to attract males and stimulating the mating behavior. Here is year round they are solitary creatures.
The males participate in Exotic combats during the mating season, where they remain on the ground, with their bodies emptied from head to tail.
The gopher snake is oviparous, meaning that it lays eggssometimes females lay anywhere from two to 24 eggsand occasionally will even lay 2 clutches in 1 season. The white or cream colored eggs have been incubated in homes to get a span of 65 to 75 days.
The eggs are laid in small mammal burrows, beneath logs or big or in burrows made from the female. The nests are occasionally communal and used by other gopher snakes.
Once younglings hatch from the eggs, they’re independent and left to fend for them. The hatchlings are born 12 to 18 inches (30 to 45 cm) long and after just 1 year might reach 3 ft (92 cm) long, and also at the initial 3 years, growth is rapid.
While male gopher snakes reach sexual maturity between 1 and 2 decades old, females require longer and just attain sexual maturity between 3 and 5 years of age.
Conservation
The gopher snake population figures are rather stable throughout its massive variety. The species has been listed as a species of”Least Concern” over the IUCN list.
Population decreases have occurred in certain areas where extensive, intensive agricultural or urban development has happened. But gopher snakes have adapted to live in such home locations and landscapes.
Additionally, some of the gopher snakes island inhabitants are far more vulnerable to human persecution or ecological alterations.
