GOPHER SNAKE
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WILDLIFE
- Red Racer
- Gopher Snake
- Glossy Snake
- Common Kingsnake
- Mojave Rattlesnake
- Speckled Rattlesnake
- Panamint Rattlesnake
- Desert Sindwinder
- Diamondback Rattlesnake
- Great Basin Rattlesnake
- Gila Monster
- Chuckwalla
- Leopard Lizard
- Collard Lizard
- Spiny Lizard
- Desert Iguana
- Desert Whiptail
ANIMAL MOTION AND BODY COVERINGS
- Vocabulary
- Book List
- Web Resources
Gopher Snake (Bull Snake)
This is Nevada’s largest native constrictor. Reaching lengths of over five feet, gopher snakes eat mostly rodents – but a large gopher snake can even eat small rabbits. This snake kills its food by wrapping around it and squeezing (constricting) until the prey can no longer breathe. When disturbed, a gopher snake may coil, vibrate its tail and hiss, leading some people to mistake it for a rattlesnake. However, even though the gopher snake can and sometimes does bite, it is completely non-venomous and harmless. Gopher snakes are active in cool daylight and at night.
