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Project Noah Nature School
Pituophis catenifer
A long slender snake with a round head. The body is light tan with darker brown or black markings. WARNING: Although the plains gopher snake is non-venomous it bears a striking resemblance to the prairie rattlesnake and the western diamondback rattlesnake, which can be deadly. DO NOT pick up any snake without a positive identification.
Varied: Scrubland, grassland, desert, rocky hillsides.
The plains gopher snake is a harmless colubrid snake. It does however resemble a few species of rattlesnake, which are venomous. Rattlesnakes have a larger head and body, and a rattle on the end of the tail. Baby rattlesnakes may not have a rattle if they have not molted yet. They can be even more deadly than adults since they have not learned to control venom flow. Other snake species in the US look like poisonous snakes as well, so if you want a better look, be very careful.
Spotted on Jan 20, 2009
Submitted on Jan 20, 2012
2 Comments
Yes, I will. And I have training as a herpetologist, so I was careful.
Hi SFShep, can you provide some more info on this spotting?
We don't encourage people to handle snakes unless they are properly trained to do so as it can cause stress to the animal & there is also the possibility you could get bitten!