''Pituophis catenifer affinis'', commonly known as the Sonoran gopher snake, is a nonvenomous

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

of colubrid snake that is endemic to the southwestern United States. It is one of six recognized subspecies of the gopher snake'',

Pituophis catenifer :''Common name: Pacific gopher snake, coast gopher snake, western gopher snake, Wright AH, Wright AA. 1957. ''Handbook of Snakes of the United States and Canada''. 2 volumes. Comstock Publishing Associates. (7th printing, 1985). 1,105 pp. . (''Pit ...

''.

Geographic range

Sonoran_Gopher_Snake_Sahuarita_Arizona_2013

It is found from central Texas across the

Southwestern United States The Southwestern United States, also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest, is a geographic and cultural region of the United States that generally includes Arizona, New Mexico, and adjacent portions of California, Colorado, Ne ...

to southeastern California, Arizona, and south into the northern states of Mexico.

Description

Adults average in total length. The maximum recorded total length is . The saddle-shaped dorsal blotches are reddish brown, except for near and on the tail, where they are dark brown or blackish. The

rostral Rostral may refer to: Anatomy * Rostral (anatomical term), situated toward the oral or nasal region * Rostral bone, in ceratopsian dinosaurs * Rostral organ, of certain fish * Rostral scale, in snakes and scaled reptiles Other uses * Rostral colu ...

is about as long as it is broad, not elongated as in other ''

Pituophis ''Pituophis'' is a genus of nonvenomous colubrid snakes, commonly referred to as gopher snakes, pine snakes, and bullsnakes, which are endemic to North America. Geographic range Species and subspecies within the genus ''Pituophis'' are found ...

'' subspecies. Smith, H.M., and E.D. Brodie, Jr. 1982. ''Reptiles of North America: A Guide to Field Identification''. Golden Press. New York. 240 pp. (paperback). (''Pituophis melanoleucus affinis'', p. 186.)

Habitat

It primarily inhabits the Sonoran Desert ecosystem of the Southwest USA, and into northern Mexico.

Diet

They feed on small rodents, hence the common name gopher snake.

Behavior

They are moderately defensive but can be tamed, and become very gentle. They have hard tough skin on their noses used to burrow into gopher holes and the

burrow An Eastern chipmunk at the entrance of its burrow A burrow is a hole or tunnel excavated into the ground by an animal to construct a space suitable for habitation or temporary refuge, or as a byproduct of locomotion. Burrows provide a form of sh ...

s of other rodents. During the winter they

brumate Dormancy is a period in an organism's life cycle when growth, development, and (in animals) physical activity are temporarily stopped. This minimizes metabolic activity and therefore helps an organism to conserve energy. Dormancy tends to be clos ...

. They invade gopher holes and holes of other burrowing rodents and eat what they need to stay alive in the invaded burrow.

Reproduction

''P. c. affinis'' is

oviparous Oviparous animals are animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive method of most fish, amphibians, most reptiles, and all pterosaurs, dinosaurs (including birds), and ...

. Adult females lay 7-22 eggs in July or August. The eggs average . The hatchlings are about in total length.

References

External links

Wildlifenorthamerica.com: Fact Sheet for the Sonoran Gopher Snake (''Pituophis catenifer affinis'')
catenifer affinis Snakes of North America Reptiles of Mexico Reptiles of the United States Fauna of Northern Mexico Fauna of the Southwestern United States Fauna of the Sonoran Desert Fauna of the Colorado Desert Taxa named by Edward Hallowell (herpetologist) {{Colubrids-stub