Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My wife, Brenda, and I went out last night roadhunting a little just southwest of Bakersfield, CA. That's the answer I gave her when she asked what I wanted to do on my birthday. We came across this male catenifer. Brenda likes him (so do I) so I guess I or we will have to make some more roadhunts in that area to get him a female.

That is one pretty looking snake ,IT's got the busiess looking patern ,ONE nice wild caught,P-RAT

I don't know about other gophers, but pacifics can flatten their heads out and it looks like a V shape. Numerous times people confuse them as being rattlesnakes.

Hey in reply to the comment that states that some gopher snakes can flatten thier heads I thought I would explain the threat displays that my 4ft sd gopher(wc) puts on when aggitated. When I first found the snake it was basking in the dried up meadowview creekbed in my hometown of Temecula(50 miles north of sd). At first the snake did not move or feel threatened but once i began to pick it up it reared its head back(at this point flatened to appear as a rattlesnake) and hissed violently like a cat. I imediatly set it down. Once i set it down it shook its tail wildly to work with its hissing noise for a full effect. I eventually got it calmed down and brought it back to my house. So thier you have it. Pits are pits and everyone I have come across does the same thing. I'll post some pics of my snake later. Good luck with your snake(s).

on your experience with the SD gopher. There are so many times that people say they saw a rattlesnake and it turns out to be a gopher snake. People will say that they know it was a rattlesnake because of the V shaped head and yet I can see a gopher snake flatten his head and make it V shaped. They vibrate their tail and it sounds like it rattles. Del and I were at work a couple years ago and someone at the South Shop of our work called and said there was a rattlesnake under the desk. When we went over to the South Shop, it was a pacific gopher. Post some pics of your SD.

>>Hey in reply to the comment that states that some gopher snakes can flatten thier heads I thought I would explain the threat displays that my 4ft sd gopher(wc) puts on when aggitated. When I first found the snake it was basking in the dried up meadowview creekbed in my hometown of Temecula(50 miles north of sd). At first the snake did not move or feel threatened but once i began to pick it up it reared its head back(at this point flatened to appear as a rattlesnake) and hissed violently like a cat. I imediatly set it down. Once i set it down it shook its tail wildly to work with its hissing noise for a full effect. I eventually got it calmed down and brought it back to my house. So thier you have it. Pits are pits and everyone I have come across does the same thing. I'll post some pics of my snake later. Good luck with your snake(s).

Well right now I'm not at my house. for this past week and 1/2 I have been hunting in montana with my grandpa. This is the reason I havent posted any pics yet. At the time being my dad is taking care of my snake(i call him/her glutton cause it would eat itself to death if i let it). When I return to my house later this week I will post some pics of the snake.
When I was in montana I came across an extremely fast snake. It was green with pepper speckles on it and was roughly 2 feet in lenght. My uncle tried to shoot it but ubruptly stopped him. I wasnt about to pic it up since I have very little knowledge of snakes in that area. I wish I had a camera on me to take... or should I say attempt to take pics of it. The strange part about it was that it acted exactly like a pit. It had a wheezy hiss and would flatten its head and in some ways was a better actor that my sd gopher. It even lives in burrows. Im guessing it feeds on field mice since everything else there was prairie dog size and up.
Just though I'd fill everyone in and please reply as to what that green snake may be. My guess is its some strange sort of racer.

may have been as Eastern Yellow-Bellied Racer. At least that is all i could really find in the field guide matching your description. It said the following "Highly variable in coloration, dorsum plain brown, gray, olive, or dull to dark blue. Varying from lemon yellow to pale cream in some parts. At home in fields and grasslands, brushy areas, and open woods. Forages mostly through the day. It says that it is sometimes mistaken for one of the green snakes and juveniles may be spotted. The range includes MT, so maybe that is what you saw. Hope that helped a little, and thanks for the great story, good luck with your hunting!

Have a good one,
Gregg F.

>>Well right now I'm not at my house. for this past week and 1/2 I have been hunting in montana with my grandpa. This is the reason I havent posted any pics yet. At the time being my dad is taking care of my snake(i call him/her glutton cause it would eat itself to death if i let it). When I return to my house later this week I will post some pics of the snake.
>> When I was in montana I came across an extremely fast snake. It was green with pepper speckles on it and was roughly 2 feet in lenght. My uncle tried to shoot it but ubruptly stopped him. I wasnt about to pic it up since I have very little knowledge of snakes in that area. I wish I had a camera on me to take... or should I say attempt to take pics of it. The strange part about it was that it acted exactly like a pit. It had a wheezy hiss and would flatten its head and in some ways was a better actor that my sd gopher. It even lives in burrows. Im guessing it feeds on field mice since everything else there was prairie dog size and up.
>> Just though I'd fill everyone in and please reply as to what that green snake may be. My guess is its some strange sort of racer.

>>may have been as Eastern Yellow-Bellied Racer. At least that is all i could really find in the field guide matching your description. It said the following "Highly variable in coloration, dorsum plain brown, gray, olive, or dull to dark blue. Varying from lemon yellow to pale cream in some parts. At home in fields and grasslands, brushy areas, and open woods. Forages mostly through the day. It says that it is sometimes mistaken for one of the green snakes and juveniles may be spotted. The range includes MT, so maybe that is what you saw. Hope that helped a little, and thanks for the great story, good luck with your hunting!
>>
>>Have a good one,
>>Gregg F.
>>
>>>>Well right now I'm not at my house. for this past week and 1/2 I have been hunting in montana with my grandpa. This is the reason I havent posted any pics yet. At the time being my dad is taking care of my snake(i call him/her glutton cause it would eat itself to death if i let it). When I return to my house later this week I will post some pics of the snake.
>>>> When I was in montana I came across an extremely fast snake. It was green with pepper speckles on it and was roughly 2 feet in lenght. My uncle tried to shoot it but ubruptly stopped him. I wasnt about to pic it up since I have very little knowledge of snakes in that area. I wish I had a camera on me to take... or should I say attempt to take pics of it. The strange part about it was that it acted exactly like a pit. It had a wheezy hiss and would flatten its head and in some ways was a better actor that my sd gopher. It even lives in burrows. Im guessing it feeds on field mice since everything else there was prairie dog size and up.
>>>> Just though I'd fill everyone in and please reply as to what that green snake may be. My guess is its some strange sort of racer.

Montana that is. Gopherluver where abouts in Montana were you at? I live in the eastern part of the state, land of the big bulls

Charles