Diet of a Gopher Snake
The gopher snake (Pituophis catenifer) is one of the most common snakes in the western United States. The gopher snake is so prevalent because it tolerates a wide range of habitats and diverse diet. The gopher snake is often misidentified and killed by people who mistake it for a venomous rattlesnake because of its appearance and its inclination to vibrate its tale when threatened. But gopher snakes--and their eating habits--are beneficial to people.
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Range
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Gopher snakes can be found in many habitats, including deserts, canyons, prairies, woodlands and agricultural fields--from the Great Lakes to the Pacific Ocean. They also range from southwestern Canada down to the northern regions of Mexico. Within this large geographic area, they are only absent from densely wooded areas and high mountain environments. Gopher snakes are diurnal and predominantly terrestrial. Because they can dig and climb, their hunting grounds are extensive within their range.
Diet in the Wild
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The gopher snake eats rodents, rabbits, birds and their eggs and occasionally lizards, frogs and insects. Although the gopher snake preys on many types of creatures, mammals make up 75 percent of its diet. They are skilled excavators and will often dig down to rodent nests and feed on young rodents. Gopher snakes are excellent climbers and often rob bird nests of eggs and hatchlings. They eat lizards, frogs and insects only when they can't find their preferred prey.
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Hunting Methods
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Gopher snakes are active hunters, relying on sight and smell to track down prey. Like most nonvenomous snakes, they kill their prey by constriction. After suffocating their prey, gopher snakes unhinge their jaws and slowly swallow their prey in one piece. Since snakes are ectotherms, they rely on the environmental temperature to aid in digestion. That's why you can often find gopher snakes basking in the sun after eating.
Benefits of a Diverse Diet
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Having a wide range of food options makes a species resilient in times of environmental stress, according to Javier Rodriguez-Robles, a herpetologist with the University of California, Berkley. If the snake relied on a single food source and that source was reduced by drought or disease, the gopher snake would also decline. Because the gopher snake eats many types of food, it can usually find something to eat, even in a distressed habitat.
Benefits to Humans
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People who recognize gopher snakes when they see them and understand their place in the ecosystem generally like to have these reptiles around. They understand that gopher snakes help control rodent populations and keep their gardens and agricultural lands healthy and free of true pests.
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References
- "Biological Journal of the Linnean Society: Feeding Ecology of North American Gopher Snakes"
- Jstor: Food Habits, Consumption Rates, and Predation Rates of Western Rattlesnakes and Gopher Snakes
- Idaho Museum of Natural History: Pituophis catenifer (Gopher Snake)
- San Diego Natural History Museum: Field Guide: Pituophis catenifer (Gophersnake)
