Species: Pituophis catenifer

Gophersnake

Species

Reptiles

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Reptiles of Puget Sound prairie

Encyclopedia of Puget Sound

Classification

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Craniata

Class

Reptilia

Order

Squamata

Family

Colubridae

Genus

Pituophis

NatureServe

Source:
ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.103070

Classification

Other Global Common Names

Gopher Snake - couleuvre à nez mince

Informal Taxonomy

Animals, Vertebrates - Reptiles - Snakes

Formal Taxonomy

Animalia - Craniata - Reptilia - Squamata - Colubridae - Pituophis - in western North America may not deserve taxonomic recognition, due to minor differences and extensive intergradation.

Ecology and Life History

Short General Description

A large, blotched snake.

Migration

true - true - false - In west-central California, four males had home ranges of 1.0-2.3 ha (mean 1.7 ha) (95% convex polygon); maximum range length was a few hundred meters (Rodriguez-Robles 2003).

Non-migrant

true

Locally Migrant

true

Food Comments

Feeds primarily on small mammals; also eats birds and their eggs, lizards, small snakes and snake eggs, and insects; lizards and insects are more common in the diet of juveniles than in that of adults. Forages actively and locates prey either by olfaction or sight (Dyrkacz and Corn 1974, Chiszar et al. 1980). Often forages underground, but in some areas also commonly climbs trees to prey on nesting birds (e.g., Eichhorn and Koenig 1992). See Diller and Johnson (1988) for predation rate on small mammals in southwestern Idaho.

Reproduction Comments

The mating period extends from April to early June over much of the range (Ernst and Barbour 1989). Eggs are laid as early as June in some areas or as late as August in other regions (Ernst and Barbour 1989). Clutch size is 2-24. Generally individual females produce one clutch per year. Incubation typically takes 50-100 days, with 70-75 days most common (Parker and Brown 1980, Ernst and Barbour 1989). In many areas, hatchlings emerge in August and September. In Utah, males reach sexually maturity in 1-2 years, females in 3-5 years (Parker and Brown 1980). Females appear to have an annual breeding cycle (Fitch 1970, Diller and Wallace 1996).

Ecology Comments

Population density was estimated at 0.3-1.3/ha in Utah and Idaho (Parker and Brown 1980, Nussbaum 1983). This snake is remarkably variable in its behavior. Some individuals lie motionless when approached, remaining passive even when handled. Others respond to approach by coiling and striking (often lunging forward and grunting with each strike), hissing loudly, and vibrating the tail. The jaws may be spread, giving the head the triangular shape typical of rattlesnakes. In dry vegetation the vibrating tail may produce a sound resembling that made by a rattlesnakes rattle. Some individuals produce a rattling hiss that closely resembles the sound of a rattlesnakes rattle. Source: Hammerson (1999).

Length

168

Conservation Status

NatureServe Global Status Rank

Global Status Last Reviewed

2005-12-13

Global Status Last Changed

1998-11-09

Distribution

Conservation Status Map

Global Range

H - >2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles) - H - The range extends from southern British Columbia, southern Alberta, southern Saskatchewan, Minnesota, and Indiana south through almost all of western and central North America to northern Baja California (Grismer 2002) (or to southern Baja California if P. vertebralis is included in P. catenifer; Rodriguez-Robles and De Jesus-Escobar 2000), Sinaloa, and Zacatecas.

Global Range Code

Global Range Description

>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)

ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.103070