:''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. . (''Pituophis catenifer'', pp. 588-609, Figures 171.-175., Map 46.)

more More or Mores may refer to: Computing * MORE (application), outline software for Mac OS * more (command), a shell command * MORE protocol, a routing protocol * Missouri Research and Education Network Music Albums * ''More!'' (album), by Booka S ...

.'' ''Pituophis catenifer'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of nonvenomous

colubrid Colubridae (, commonly known as colubrids , from la, coluber, 'snake') is a family of snakes. With 249 genera, it is the largest snake family. The earliest species of the family date back to the Oligocene epoch. Colubrid snakes are found on ever ...

snake Snakes are elongated, Limbless vertebrate, limbless, carnivore, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other Squamata, squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping Scale (zoology), scales. Ma ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

. Nine

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 ...

are currently recognized, including the

nominotypical 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 ...

, ''Pituophis catenifer catenifer'', described here. This snake is often mistaken for the

prairie rattlesnake Prairie rattlesnake may refer to: * ''Crotalus viridis'', a.k.a. the plains rattlesnake, a venomous pitviper species native to the western United States, southwestern Canada, and northern Mexico. * ''Sistrurus catenatus The massasauga (''Sistru ...

, but can be easily

distinguished The ruling made by the judge or panel of judges must be based on the evidence at hand and the standard binding precedents covering the subject-matter (they must be ''followed''). Definition In law, to distinguish a case means a court decides th ...

from a rattlesnake by the lack of black and white banding on its tail and by the shape of its head, which is narrower than a rattlesnake's.

Etymology

The specific name, ''catenifer'', is

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

for "chain-bearing", referring to the

dorsal Dorsal (from Latin ''dorsum'' ‘back’) may refer to: * Dorsal (anatomy), an anatomical term of location referring to the back or upper side of an organism or parts of an organism * Dorsal, positioned on top of an aircraft's fuselage * Dorsal c ...

color pattern.

Description

Adults are 36-84 in (91–213 cm) in length.

Dorsally Standard anatomical terms of location are used to unambiguously describe the anatomy of animals, including humans. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position prov ...

, they are yellowish or pale brown, with a series of large, dark brown or black blotches, and smaller, dark spots on the sides.

Ventrally Standard anatomical terms of location are used to unambiguously describe the anatomy of animals, including humans. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position prov ...

, they are yellowish, either uniform or with brown markings. Boulenger GA. 1894. ''Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume II., Containing the Conclusion of the Colubridæ Aglyphæ.'' Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, Printers.) London. xi + 382 pp. + Plates I.- XX. (''"Coluber catenifer"'', pp. 67-68.)

Behavior

Pituophis catenifer affinis - Flickr - aspidoscelis (2)

The gopher snake has a unique defensive mechanism, in which it puffs up its body and curls itself into the classic strike pose of a

rattlesnake Rattlesnakes are venomous snakes that form the genera ''Crotalus'' and ''Sistrurus'' of the subfamily Crotalinae (the pit vipers). All rattlesnakes are vipers. Rattlesnakes are predators that live in a wide array of habitats, hunting small anim ...

. However, rather than delivering an open-mouthed strike, the gopher snake often strikes with a closed mouth, using its blunt nose to "warn off" possible predators. Additionally, gopher snakes vibrate their tails in a manner similar to rattlesnakes. One paper found that gopher snakes on islands lacking rattlesnakes vibrate their tails for shorter amounts of time than gopher snakes in mainland California, which is home to numerous rattlesnake species.Allf, Bradley C., Sparkman, Amanda M., Pfennig, David W. "Microevolutionary change in mimicry? Potential erosion of rattling behaviour among nonvenomous snakes on islands lacking rattlesnakes" Ethology Ecology & Evolution (2020). DOI: 10.1080/03949370.2020.1837962 This suggests that gopher snake tail vibration may in fact be rattlesnake

mimicry In evolutionary biology, mimicry is an evolved resemblance between an organism and another object, often an organism of another species. Mimicry may evolve between different species, or between individuals of the same species. Often, mimicry f ...

since the behavior appears to be breaking down in areas without rattlesnakes, perhaps because predators on these islands have no reason to evolve to avoid tail-vibrating snakes (rattlesnakes are venomous, gopher snakes are not).

Life expectancy

Wild gopher snakes typically live 12 to 15 years, but the oldest captive recorded lived over 33 years.

Common names

Common names for this species, or its several subspecies, are: Pacific gopher snake, Henry snake, coast gopher snake, bullsnake, Churchill's bullsnake, Oregon bullsnake, Pacific pine snake, western bullsnake, western gopher snake, Sonoran gopher snake, western pine snake, great basin gopher snake, blow snake, and yellow gopher snake.

Subspecies

As of 2022, there is largely agreement on the recognition of six subspecies occurring in Canada, USA, and mainland Mexico. However, there is not agreement among taxonomist on status of populations from

Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...

and adjacent islands. The Cape gophersnake (''Pituophis catenifer vertebralis'') and Central Baja California gophersnake (''Pituophis catenifer bimaris'') are recognized by some as single species with no subspecies ''Pituophis vertebralis'', or as a species with two subspecies ''Pituophis v. vertebralis'' and ''P. v. bimaris'' by others. Other subspecies including the Coronado Island gophersnake (''Pituophis catenifer coronalis'') and San Martin Island gophersnake (''Pituophis catenifer fulginatus'') are of questionable validity.Stebbins, RobertC. and Samuel M. McGinnis. 2018. ''Peterson Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians, 4th ed.'' Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publidhing Co. New York, N.Y. xi, 560 pp. (pages 400-402)

Gallery

File:Pituophis catenifer affinis - Flickr - aspidoscelis (7).jpg, Sonoran gophersnake (''Pituophis catenifer affinis'') Hidalgo County, New Mexico (18 April 2017) File:Gopher Snake (Pituophis catenifer) (3519429347) (cropped).jpg, San Diego gophersnake (''Pituophis catenifer annectens'') San Luis Obispo County, California (May 9, 2009) File:Pituophis catenifer Bear Valley (cropped).jpg, Pacific gophersnake (''Pituophis catenifer catenifer''), Alpine County, California (March 27, 2004) File:Gopher-snake (cropped).jpg, Great Basin gophersnake (''Pituophis catenifer deserticola''), Elko County, Nevada (May 25, 2006) File:Bullsnake (Pituophis catenifer sayi) (42752586552).jpg, Bullsnake (''Pituophis catenifer sayi''), Mason County, Illinois (June 13, 2018)

References

External links

* {{Authority control catenifer Snakes of North America Reptiles of Mexico Reptiles of the United States Fauna of the Western United States Fauna of Northern Mexico Fauna of California Fauna of the California chaparral and woodlands Fauna of the San Francisco Bay Area Reptiles described in 1835 Taxa named by Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville