The Pacific Gopher Snake
(sometimes called a bullsnake)

Gopher Snake, Bullsnake © 1999 William Flaxington

Scientific name: Pituophis melanoleucus catenifer

Size: 3-8 feet (1-2.5 meters)

Description: This snake has large blotches of dark color, mostly brown, down the middle of its back. The rest of its body is a creamy yellow color.

One of the books I read said the gopher snake is one of the most valued species of snakes because of how many rodents it eats. It can be found in gardens, grasslands with or without trees, woodlands, and brush lands. It is NOT a poisonous snake! It can imitate a rattlesnake, though it is not.

The gopher snake kills its prey by coiling around it and suffocating. The prey is swallowed whole and usually goes headfirst. It usually eats mice, rats, gophers, ground squirrels, rabbits, birds and their eggs, and lizards.

The Gopher Snake is very common in Solano County during March through November with most of the breeding activity in April and May. The Gopher Snake is a carnivore.