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Bullsnake (Pituophis
catenifer)
Nonpoisonous Snake |
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Description: Base color yellowish, with reddish-brown to black blotches on back; belly cream with brown or black blotches. Boldly patterned tail is banded with black (dark brown) and tan. Habitat: Grasslands, open woodlands and farmlands. Size: Typical adult length: 127-183 cm (50-72 in); Maximum 88 inches (Collins & Collins 1993). Diet: Small mammals, birds, and eggs. Natural History: One of the largest and most often seen snakes of Nebraska. Bullsnakes may vibrate tail when alarm, which may sound like a rattlesnake, also makes a hissing noise. However, they may from time to time get hit over the head with a hoe for doing too effective a job of acting like a rattlesnake. Bullsnakes should not be killed as they are of no danger to humans and eat large numbers of rodents. For all their fierce display if handled gently they quickly become tame. Bullsnakes usually seize prey with their mouth and, if the prey is large, wrap several coils around them, and kill by constriction. Like many snakes they tend to hunt in the morning and evenings except at the hottest times of the summer when they are more active at night. Because they consume so many rodents these snakes are normally considered beneficial (Collins and Collins considered it the most beneficial snake in Kansas). However they are also excellent at finding and eating duck eggs and this has put them at odds with game managers in Nebraska. While some control of Bullsnakes has been attempted to help duck production, it has been abandoned as ineffective and undesirable. Similar species: |
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