Gopher Snakes
Habitat: This snake is found in a wide variety of habitats, including
woodlands, deserts, argricultural areas
(such as cultivated fields), prairies, chaparral, and shrublands. Diet: Small mammals, especially pocket gophers, birds and their eggs, and occasionally lizards and insects.
Can a gopher snake bite you?
Gopher snakes are nonvenomous but
can still inflict a painful bite
.
Where are gopher snakes found?
Range/ Habitat: The gopher snake is one of the most widespread snakes in North America. Its range extends from
the Atlantic to Pacific oceans
, as far north as southern Canada, and as far south as Veracruz and southern Sinaloa, Mexico, including Baja California.
Are gopher snakes poisonous?
Gophersnakes do not have venom that is dangerous to most humans
. Gophersnakes are one of the most commonly seen snakes in California. Primarily active during the day, they are also active after sundown on hot days.
Can gopher snakes kill humans?
Are Gopher Snakes Dangerous?
Gopher snakes can be dangerous
, but only when they feel threatened. They do not have poisonous venom, which can severely hurt humans and in some cases result in death. In different cases, gopher snakes are known to attack with their mouths closed rather than with an open mouth.
What attracts Gophers to your yard?
They especially love the
roots and tubers of plants
but will occasionally resort to “grazing” the lawn for grass, clover, and other snacks. Soil composition. Because gophers love to excavate, they prefer to live in areas with loose, sandy soil that's easy to move.
Will gopher snakes keep rattlesnakes away?
Because they compete with rattlesnakes for food and territory,
gopher snakes will help keep rattlers away
, notes the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Both species of snakes live in the burrows of other animals and under rocks and logs. Both snakes eat small birds, eggs and mammals.
Are gopher snakes friendly?
Gopher snakes are active during the day, they're very curious and enjoy investigating new things in their enclosures. In general,
most are perfectly docile and allow themselves to be handled without a fuss
.
How do you get rid of gopher snakes?
- Spray it with a hose. Drench the snake from a distance. …
- Trap the snake. …
- Eliminate food sources. …
- Get rid of standing water. …
- Trap the snake. …
- Fill burrows. …
- Remove shelter. …
- Use smoke.
Do gopher snakes look like rattlesnakes?
Gopher snakes and
rattlesnakes resemble each other only superficially
. They have the same sort of markings and colors, and both snakes can be a bit short-tempered. But they differ in length. The longest rattlesnake is about nine feet long, and the fangs of a big rattlesnake can grow up to an inch long.
Do gopher snakes hiss and strike?
Gopher Snakes will pretend to be
a Rattlesnake to scare off predators, by coiling their body, hissing, striking and vibrating their tail quickly against their scales, they can fool most predators into running away for fear of a venom filled bite.
How do you identify a gopher snake?
Gopher snakes are nonvenomous and have splotchy dark markings on their backs and yellow or brownish coloration with large heads. These snakes are known to hiss loudly, vibrate their tails and flatten their heads when threatened. A common physical trait to easily identify a gopher snake is
by the shape of its tail
.
Do gopher snakes swim?
Gopher snakes are non-venomous snakes. They are constrictors. … Gopher snakes are terrestrial animals (spend majority of time on the land), but they are also
excellent climbers and swimmers
.
Can gopher snakes climb walls?
There are some very good climbers, like Gophersnakes, Coachwhips, and kingsnakes, that can do fun things like
climb straight up rough stucco walls
– so seeing one of these snakes in a rattlesnake-fence protected area is not an indicator that the fence has failed in some way.
Do gopher snakes climb trees?
Behavior. Slow-moving, the gopher snake
investigates burrows, rocky crevices and even climbs trees in search of prey
. Adult snakes hunt small rodents, young rabbits, lizards, birds and occasionally other snakes, usually by their sense of smell.
Why are they called gopher snakes?
The gopher snake's name comes
from one of its primary diet sources – the gopher
. Since a grown gopher snake's diet consists mostly of various small rodents like the gopher, it is especially helpful in agricultural areas, because it can reduce rodent populations that typically harm crops.
