Gopher Snake

The gopher snake begins to coil its body as it attempts to fool potential predators into thinking it is a rattlesnake.

NPS/ C. Henzel

Belonging to the largest family of snakes, the gopher snake (Pituophis catenifer) or “Bull snake” moves slowly from burrows to rocky crevices in search for unsuspecting prey. Its stealthy movements are guided by its sense of smell for rodents, lizards, and birds. Once a meal is caught the snake constricts and suffocates it before devouring it whole.

Being one of the slower species of snake opens up this snake to predation from hawks, eagles, coyotes and foxes. As a defense mechanism the snake will coil itself up and vibrate its tail in an attempt to mimic a rattlesnake. It hisses using an organ called the glottis. As the glottis opens and closes rapidly it makes a sound similar to the rattle of a rattlesnakes. In addition to the hissing and coiling the snake also has the ability to flatten its head giving it a more triangular shape like that of a rattlesnake. This mimicry will sometimes fool potential predators allowing the snake to live another day.

 

By flattening its head to look like that of pit viper, a gopher snake may be mistaken for a rattlesnake by predators.

NPS/ C. Henzel