The San Diego Gopher Snake’s habitat includes Rose Canyon in San Diego.

People think of all snakes as a rattlesnakes, a venomous snake but did you know there is a non venomous kind of snake that lives here in San Diego too? This snake eats pesky rodents, is not dangerous, and helps people by killing rodents. It’s a San Diego Gopher Snake! Gopher snakes are also called bull snakes. Does it eat gophers? How does it catch its prey? What does it look like? What’s the difference between a gopher snake and a rattlesnake? Keep reading and find out!

What does a gopher snake look like? A gopher snake is long and sometimes up to 9 feet but 4 feet is more common. It is  long and skinny and it has no rattle. Its colors are dark brown, red, and yellow. Gopher snakes have bright, shiny scales

What does a gopher snakes eat? A gopher snake eat mice and rodents and gophers. A gopher snake sneaks up on its prey wrap around its prey and squeezes its prey to death. When the animal is dead, it swallows the prey whole. Gopher snakes are helpful to humans because they eat eat mice and  rodents.

People kill gopher snakes because they think they are rattlesnakes. So, how do you know if a snake is a gopher snake or a rattle snake? A rattlesnake has a fat body, a gopher snake has a thin body. A rattle snake has a rattle and  a gopher snake does not have a rattle. Rattlesnakes have poison and gopher snakes do not have poison. Rattlesnakes have a triangular face gopher snakes have a thin face.Rattlesnakes have cat eyes gopher snakes do not have cat eyes. Next time you see a snake be careful because maybe it’s not a rattlesnake but a gopher snake.

I think gopher snakes are amazing animals and they help people. There are all kinds of gopher snakes that live along the west coast of the United States. Lets not think they are all rattlesnakes and let’s not kill them! Remember if you see a snake it may not be a rattlesnake but a gopher snake!