| Species | Pituophis catenifer (Blainville, 1835) = P. melanoleucus |
| Family | Colubridae (Colubrids) |
| Status | none |
| State Rank | S5 |
| Global Rank | G5 |
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This is a large snake with dark blotches, a distinct eye stripe and a tail that tapers to the tip. Adults can grow to around 180 cm total length in the Northwest. In Washington, they are usually beige or tan with large dark brown or black square-shaped blotches down the back and smaller blotches on the sides. The tail is banded. The head is somewhat triangular in shape, becoming more pronounced when the snake is agitated. A distinct eye stripe is present from the edges of the jaw, through the eyes and across the snout. A small dark “tear-like” marking occurs below each eye. The dorsal scales are keeled with 29-37 scales at mid-body. The pupils are round. The underside is white with black spots on the edges of the ventral scales. Juveniles resemble adults. No obvious external features distinguish males from females. These snakes are commonly called “Bullsnakes.” See Photos Page.
Western Rattlesnakes (Crotalus oreganus) differ in having a rattle, facial pits and vertical pupils. Night Snakes (Hypsiglena torquata) differ in having smooth scales, vertical pupils and a pearly white belly with no dark markings. Juvenile Racers (Coluber constrictor) differ in having indistinct blotching, smooth scales and no eye mask. See Key Features Page.
In most of the Columbia Basin, Gopher Snakes emerge from overwintering sites in late March or early April. They are typically one of the first snakes to be found active away from overwintering sites. Young start to appear in late August or early September. Activity continues into late October depending on location and weather conditions.
Gopher Snakes occur east of the Cascade Mountains primarily in the Columbia Basin and Okanogan ecoregions. A few occurrences are documented in the East Cascades Ecoregion.
Two Gopher Snake specimens, collected in the late 1800s from the “Puget Sound”, are housed in the U.S. National Museum, Washington D.C. George Suckley, a physician and naturalist with the Pacific Railroad Surveys 1853-1855, reported that the Gopher Snake was “found sparingly at Puget Sound.” With the exception of a few, scattered individuals of the eastern Washington subspecies, Gopher Snakes have not been verified present in western Washington since that time. Their historic occurrence in western Washington was likely the result of extensive prairies in the south Puget Sound region. See Distribution Map.
For information on the complete range of this species, see NatureServe Explorer.
In Washington, Gopher Snakes are primarily a species of dry habitat types such as shrub-steppe, Oregon White Oak and ponderosa pine forests. They spend a great deal of time below the surface in animal burrows. They can be active day or night.
Gopher Snakes exhibit dramatic defensive behaviors including hissing, puffing the body, coiling, flattening the head, vibrating the tail, and striking. This behavior, combined with their general appearance, mimics rattlesnakes. Gopher Snakes will bite if threatened but the bite is not venomous. Unfortunately for Gopher Snakes, people who mistake them for rattlesnakes often needlessly kill them. They serve an important function in wildlife communities, preying extensively on small mammals.
Gopher Snakes are particularly easy to find on roads. It is common in the summer to find them basking on roads in the late afternoon and early evening. They exhibit behaviors that make them particularly vulnerable to being killed by vehicles. They tend to bask with their bodies in a straight line and move by inching their way across roads with the body fully extended. When approached, they tend to take a defensive stand (coiling) instead of fleeing to the side of the road.
This species is common and widespread in eastern Washington. Gopher Snakes in western Washington are most likely extirpated.
Observations from areas not indicated on the map can be submitted to the WDFW herp database by contacting Lori Salzer by E-mail salzeljs@dfw.wa.gov. Of particular interest are observations from western Washington, observations that occur outside the known distribution and recent observation records from Walla Walla County.
The Gopher Snake specimens collected from Puget Sound in the 1800s were a different subspecies (Pacific Gopher Snake, P.c. catenifer) than those found in eastern Washington (Great Basin Gopher Snake, P.c. deserticola). The most obvious features that distinguish the Great Basin Gopher Snake from the Pacific Gopher Snake are the dark dorsal blotches that, in the Great Basin subspecies, are connected near the head and the blotches on the side of the neck merge to form lines.
None known at this time.
This species appears to be common and widespread. No major declines have been reported.
Hallock (1998), McAllister (1995), Suckley & Cooper (1860)
Hallock, L.A. and McAllister, K.R. 2005. Gopher Snake. Washington Herp Atlas. http://www1.dnr.wa.gov/nhp/refdesk/herp/
Last updated: December 2005