Sonoran Gophersnake - Pituophis catenifer affinis

(Hallowell, 1852)

Approximate Range of P. catenifer
Yellow = Range of P. c. affinis
Click map to enlarge and see other subspecies names.


Adult, Cochise County, Arizona

Adult, Cochise County, Arizona

	Adult, Pima County, Arizona		Young Adult, Yavapai County, Arizona

Adult, Cochise County, Arizona			Adult crossing the road defensively with elevated head and neck while hissing, Cochise County, Arizona

Adult, Cochise County, Arizona		Adult, Yavapai County, Arizona

Large old adult, Pima County, Arizona

Habitat

Habitat, Yavapai County, Arizona	Habitat, Pima County, Arizona.	Habitat, Mohawk Dunes, Yuma County, Arizona	Habitat, Pima County, Arizona.

Habitat, Cochise County, Arizona	Habitat, Cochise County, Arizona	Habitat, Cochise County, Arizona	Habitat, Yavapai County, Arizona

Short Videos of Gophersnakes

A huge Sonoran Gophersnake puts on an impressive defensive display of hissing and blowing.	Gophersnakes in the wild often take a defensive stance when threatened; they hiss, rear up, and sometimes even strike at the threat in order to protect themselves from harm. In this video, a newly-hatched juvenile Sonoran Gopher Snake trying to cross a road at night is threatened by the bright light and the video camera stuck in its face so it hisses loudly and strikes at the camera before crawling away.	A Sonoran Gophersnakes crawls around in Imperial County, California.	A Sonoran Gophersnake races across a road just after sunset.

A distressed Pacific Gopher Snake shakes its tail rapidly, which makes a buzzing sound as the tail touches the ground. This behavior might be a mimic of a rattlesnake's rattlng, or it could be a similar behavior that helps to warn off an animal that could be a threat to the gopher snake.

Southwest Reptiles & Amphibians

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