Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I bought a snake about a year ago that was sold to me as an albino bull snake but today someone told me that it was not a bull snake but a gopher snake. So, how can you tell the difference between a bull and a gopher especially if it is an albino?

Thanks,
Eric

Post pics. There's bound to be a few people on here who can help
you.

reako45

Heres a picture

My first thought is bull. Hopefully, others will chime in.
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Genesis 1:1

Head shots from different angles would probably let someone positively ID it.

I can't say for sure myself. While I can often tell when it's not a gopher I can't always(all my experience is with pacific gophers) and I definitely can't ID variety of bull if thats what it is.

In general from what I've seen bullsnakes tend to have blockier heads and gophersnakes tend to have more pointed longer heads.

Also I remember some people talking about a scale(nose area if memory serves) that is present in one of the two species and not in the other.

I'd try to get some different angle pictures posted especially of the head and including closeups if you can in case that scale bit I remembered is correct. I'm sure one of the experts will soon be able to tell then.

Here are some head shots

This looks like a "bull" to me although all the info ive reviewed on these snakes basically states there the exact same thing with slight differences in the shape of the head. even renown herpitoligists suggest that bulls and gophers are the exact same snake and only area location differentiates them. its hard to tell for sure seein as how even the "experts" cant decide but id say its a safe bet that what youve got is a bull.

....sonoran to be more specific,would be my guess....a bull would tend to have a more narrow head with a taller profile and more pointed rostral.
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"with head raised regally,and gazing at me with lidless eyes,he seemed to question with flicks of his long forked tongue my right to trespass on his territory" Carl Kauffeld

Ive been reading many accounts over the years over what makes a Bull different from a gopher. Frankly the last post directy contradicts the previous posts on here, and this is in tune with the literature I've read also. There are alot of "experts" out there, not to demean those who really know their stuff but you all can understand what I'm talking about. I will say that it is agreed that all Bulls are subspecies of the Gopher snake, so are scientifically speaking- gophers. However, to make things easier on you and what I would do, would be to go on what the person sold you the snake as. IF someone asked me if that snake was a gopher, I'd tell them "It was sold to me as a Bull" and thats about all you can go on really, because unless experts see them in person, its VERY hard to tell them apart. To add more potential confusion, being that all Bulls are gophers, both sub species do interbreed as well. Unfortunatly, its also harder to tell an albino gopher apart from an albino bull just by the color. In the mean time, until someone like Robert C. Stebbins takes a look, then just go with it being a Bullsnake to play it safe.
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