kingsnake.com - reptile and amphibian classifieds, breeders, forums, photos, videos and more

return to main index
  mobile - desktop
follow us on facebook follow us on twitter follow us on YouTube link to us on LinkedIn
Southwestern Center for Herpetological Research  
click here for Rodent Pro
Mice, Rats, Rabbits, Chicks, Quail
Available Now at RodentPro.com!
Locate a business by name: click to list your business
search the classifieds. buy an account
events by zip code list an event
Search the forums             Search in:
News & Events: Herp Photo of the Day: Gopher Snake . . . . . . . . . .  Herp Photo of the Day: Snake . . . . . . . . . .  Suncoast Herp Society Meeting - Apr 20, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  DFW Herp Society Meeting - Apr 20, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Colorado Herp Society Meeting - Apr 20, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Chicago Herpetological Society Meeting - Apr 21, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Bay Area Herpetological Society Meeting - Apr 26, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Calusa Herp Society Meeting - May 02, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Southwestern Herp Society Meeting - May 04, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Exotic Pets Expo - Manasas - May 05, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Greater Cincinnati Herp Society Meeting - May 07, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  St. Louis Herpetological Society - May 12, 2024 . . . . . . . . . . 
Got EGGS? Incubators on SALE now thru Sunday @ LLLReptile. Click HERE!
Free Nationwide Ground Shipping on All Frozen Food Orders Totaling $100 Or More at RodentPro.com!

Bull Snake!

[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ The Bull, Pine, and Gopher Snake Forum ]

Posted by PeeBee on April 01, 2003 at 23:04:42:

In Reply to: Re: Sonoran Gopher? posted by What on April 01, 2003 at 19:35:12:

Based on this photo, and some of the others you posted today I changing my ID from sonoran gopher to Bull snake. The close up confirms it to me. Notice how the rostral (nose) scale looks almost like a pine snakes. A pure sonoran gopher has a triangular rostral. Keep in mind that bulls and sonoran gophers intergrade where their ranges are adjacent, and in those areas traits may overlap. Only recently have text books indicated that sonoran gophers range farther east in TX than originally noted. This used to confuse me, because for years I thought that the "bull snakes" from western TX were mis-identified sonoran gophers or intergrades.

I definitely think it's not a great basin gopher. This snake is heavier bodied than a great basin, and doesn't have any anterior striping that a great basin has. A great basin's head is also more triangular than a bulls. A bull doesn't have as much neck definition.

Don't just take my word for it, check out the subspecies descriptions in the Stebbins field guide, and the photos in Kingsnake.com's Pituophis page photo gallery. Wright & Wright's handbook of snakes is dated, but also has good descriptions of the subspecies. After you've read the subspecies descriptions and seen a lot of specimens you'll have a better eye for differentiating the catenifer (bull/gopher) subspecies.

Paul B


Follow Ups:


[ Follow Ups ] [ The Bull, Pine, and Gopher Snake Forum ]