Pacific Gopher Snake
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| Pacific Gopher Snake | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Pituophis catenifer catenifer Blainville, 1835 |
The Pacific Gopher Snake (Pituophis catenifer catenifer) is a species of small colubrid snake native to the western coast of the United States.
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[edit] Description
The Pacific Gopher Snake grows from 4.5 to 5 feet (1.4 to 1.5 m) in length, though some specimens have been recorded at 7 ft, with hatchlings averaging about 8-12 inches.[1] Some hatchlings may exceed 20 in.[2]
A snake with keeled scales, and a narrow head that is wider than the neck, the Pacific Gopher Snake also displays a protruding rostral scale on the tip of the snout. The two most common base colors are straw and straw grey, though the species' color varies widely.[1] The dorsal blotches, or saddles, are well-defined and generally dark to chocolate brown, though some specimens have had black blotches.[1][2] The side blotches are often brown or grey. The back of the neck is dark brown.[2] In Solano County, California, the snake can be found in a striped morph.
The ventral side may be cream-colored to yellowish with dark spots. On the dorsal side, especially near the tail, there is often a reddish coloration.
[edit] Behavior
A diurnal snake, though sometimes active at dusk and nocturnal during warm weather.[1][2] They prefer drier habitats such as meadows, fields and agricultural farmland, and are seldom found in dense forests.
Like other gopher snakes, the Pacific gopher can produce a loud hiss when agitated or fearful.[2] When threatened, this species will inflate its body, flatten its head, and vigorously shake its tail, which may produce a rattling sound if done in dry vegetation.[1][2]
Their diet consists of small mammals, notably pocket gophers; birds and their eggs; the occasional lizard and insect,[2] and even bats.[1] It is reputed to sometimes consume rattlesnakes.[1]
[edit] Reproduction
They are an oviparous species in which eggs are laid from June to August and hatch in 2 to 2.5 months.[2]
In captive breeding, the snake goes through a winter brumation period to improve breeding success. The clutches average 12-14 eggs and hatch in the same time period as in the wild.[1]
[edit] Geographic range
The Pacific Gopher Snake ranges up and down the West Coast of the United States,[1] its range ending in the southern coast of California.[2]
[edit] References
- Species Pituophis catenifer at The Reptile Database
