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 #2036941


Juice*
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 Bull Snake or Gopher Snake?!

How can you tell a bull snake and a gopher snake apart? What is different between the two?
07/09/09  09:08pm

 #2037182


Greatballzofire
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   Message To: Juice*   In reference to Message Id: 2036941


 Bull Snake or Gopher Snake?!

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I hope this helps. There are some small differences depending upon locale. I have six pituophis, and my oldest Pacific gopher looks more like a bull snake and the one wild rescue Pacific gopher does not look like any of my other Pacific gopher snakes, and my baby bulls look like Pacific gopher snakes! Argh! LOL!
07/10/09  12:15pm

 #2037739


Concolor1
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   Message To: Greatballzofire   In reference to Message Id: 2037182


 Only Slight Differences . . .

In many cases, and color pattern isn’t an absolutely reliable guide. Bull Snakes tend to run larger, and their heads have a blunt shape and are bigger in proportion to their body; those of a gopher snake are more narrow and slightly pointed . . .

Bull snake patterns tend almost appear to be "two different snakes," but this isn’t absolute. Here’s a shot of a Great Basin gopher I took about six weeks ago . . .



And another GB in my collection. These are useful because they are both wild specimens; interbreeding is easy, and will result in features being modified . . .



Finally, here’s my "Texas Bull," a nice healthy three-year old female that is pushing five feet . . .



07/11/09  04:18pm

 #2038202


Greatballzofire
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   Message To: Concolor1   In reference to Message Id: 2037739


 Only Slight Differences . . .

Concolor1, I can see the difference now! Thanks!

These are all my pituophis. The last fuzzy photo is the only one I have of my big Pacific gopher that shows her head shape; all the other photos she is eating! Just fed them this morning so don’t want to disturb them yet for another photo.

CB Pacific gopher snakes


Baby bull male...Kingsville red X Stillwater golden hypo


baby bull female...Kingsville red X Stillwater golden hypo


WC baby Pacific gopher


CB Pacific gopher.




07/12/09  07:03pm

 #2038916


Juice*
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   Message To: Greatballzofire   In reference to Message Id: 2038202


 Only Slight Differences . . .


so is this a bull or gopher?????
07/13/09  10:51pm

 #2039126


Greatballzofire
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   Message To: Juice*   In reference to Message Id: 2038916


 Only Slight Differences . . .

I’m guessing a bull. It’s head looks more like a bull snake to me. My bull snakes have freckles on the tops of their heads but none of my gopher snakes have any head freckles, if that means anything. The snake in your photo has a blunt nose, too, more bull snake like.
07/14/09  12:58pm

 #2043268


Matt Chandler
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   Message To: Greatballzofire   In reference to Message Id: 2039126


 Only Slight Differences . . .

I don’t think its a bullsnake GB. That looks like a gopher snake. Bullsnakes have a more pronounced rostral scale, giving their heads sort of a torpedo shape and for the size of that snake, the eyes are way to big in relation to the head. Plus the pattern comming down from the neck is a gopher snake’s sort of parttern. A bullsnake has a more broken pattern. I have both gopher and bullsnake so I can see the differences everyday. Alos gopher snakes have a more squared of nose tip seen from above
07/22/09  09:51am

 #2043820


Greatballzofire
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   Message To: Matt Chandler   In reference to Message Id: 2043268


 Only Slight Differences . . .

Matt, I would agree. I have all these snakes and look at them every day, and still find it hard to tell the difference. My bulls seem thicker bodied with more tapered or pointy snout.
07/23/09  08:53am


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