WORLD PITUOPHIS WEB PAGE BY PATRICK H. BRIGGS

If you have audio, listen to the music as you browse.

Two-headed San Diego Gopher Snake (wild from Santa Barbara California)

Photo below by Patrick H. Briggs 

BULLSNAKE Pituophis catenifer sayi (neonate below from Kankakee, Illinois region)

Photo by Patrick H. Briggs Courtesy Dick Buchholz 

        Photo by Patrick Houston Briggs Courtesy Laurence Hope (Below is an upset Pacific Gopher Snake from Hanford- Kings County CA) 

Gopher, Pine, and Bull Snakes-The Genus Pituophis

By Patrick Houston Briggs

The genus Pituophis pronounced "pit-chew-oh-fis" is a collection of contrictors with similar characteristics classified within the ophidian family Colubridae. They are gopher snakes, pine snakes, and bull snakes. The scientific name comes from the Latin word pituitarius referring to phlegm  or mucus. It could be associated with the intense hissing produced by these snakes. Interestingly, Pitys is also Greek for "pine" and Latin for "pine-cone", so it is very appropriate for the the pine snake species. The ophis portion of this scientific name is Greek for snake. Holbrook established the first Pituophis in 1842 upon the northern form of pine snake that is recorded by Daudin as Coluber melanoleucus in 1803. Coluber is Latin for snake. Many of the Colubrids have 2 prefrontal scales, but within the genus Pituophis, with the exception of a few species, there is usually a trademark of 4 prefrontals, at least on most individuals. Others may vary a little within a species, with some individuals deviating from the rule, having only 2 or others having azygous or intermediate scales between the prefontal and internasals especially within intergrade zones.

 Photo by Patrick Houston Briggs Courtesy Lloyd Lemke (Below is a large powerful female Northern Pine Snake)

The first image below on the left is the upper head of Pituophis deppei deppei and clearly shows only 2 pre-frontal scales touching the frontal scale (the center scale beween the eyes). The right side image shows Pituophis catenifer annectens with 4 pre-frontal scales contacting the frontal. Most Pituophis snakes have 4 that contact the frontal.

Photo print scans by Patrick Briggs

        MEXICAN PINE SNAKE   2 Pre-frontal scales                                       SAN DIEGO GOPHER SNAKE 4 Pre-frontals                                                    

Cincuate Bullsnake (Seen-qua'-tay) Pituophis lineaticollis lineaticollis

 Photo By Patrick Houston Briggs Courtesy Thomas Moisi (Specimen below is Cuerno Vaca, Mexican Stock)

Although there are exceptions, such as a few island forms, these snakes can grow to be robust, powerful, constrictors that prey on lizards, birds and their eggs, as well as rodents, such as gophers, rats, mice, and young rabbits. Generally they are clad in light ground coloration with dark blotches and spots, but individuals have been found in nearly all the different races that also have the striped pattern morph. Color and pattern variation is extreme, both at the specific and subspecific levels of Pituophis. Some, such as Pituophis vertebralis are split up as pattern classes by some authorities, while others give them subspecies status. Furthermore, a few, such as Pituophis melanoleucus lodingi lose their pattern completely as they mature, and become completely "melanistic" or black as adults. Many Pituophis also have darker markings toward the rear and front of their bodies while they are much lighter at the mid-body which makes them appear as two different kinds of snakes.

  Photo by Patrick Houston Briggs Courtesy John Ginter (Below is a striped-morph Pacific Gopher Snake)

  Watch and Listen to Pituophis striking, hissing, and vibrating the tail Click below:

http://californiaherps.com/movies/pcateniferstrike609.mov

http://californiaherps.com/movies/pccatenifertailshake609.mov

Above Courtesy Gary Nafis (http://www.californiaherps.com/) 

Pituophis Temperment 

By Patrick Briggs

Temperment of different Pituophis can vary just as much from one individual to another as it can from different species or races. I've always been impressed at the tenacity of some of these reptiles that have been cornered or feel threatened in the wild. Indeed, if one is agitated, muscular coils are deliberately flexed and relaxed of its sinuous body, and it may slowly slither along on large half loops, and with the head  boldly raised and flattened and the rear of the jaw spread further apart,  the tongue might extend and slowly rise and lower, or the bifurcated tip may droop downward. At the same time an intense hissing is amplified as inhaling and exhaling of air passes by a cartilaginous membrane flap or pre-glottal keel jutting upward from the front of the glottis. The glottis is an air opening at the floor of the mouth behind the base of the tongue. Furthermore, as penetrating eyes of the pivoting head focus intently on the movements of the intruder, the tail, like a rattlesnake without its rattle, rapidly vibrates with  determination to intimidate an intruder. All of these instinctive behaviors and survival tools work in conjunction with one another to become part of a bluffing strategy and effective mechanism to fool any menacing preditor into believing its potential prey is an irrascible creature or a scaly devil far too trecherous to manage. If that isn't enough, repeated strikes towards the intruder should hasten a decision for it to retreat and search out other prey. This preditor diversion allows the magnificent ophidian to finally pacify, and slowly slither away, and having again, survived, go on its merry way.

Photo by Patrick Houston Briggs (Below is the pre-glottal keel or flap that amplifies the hissing sound coming from the airway)

Photo by Patrick Houston Briggs Courtesy Rick Smith (Below is a beautiful patternless morph of the Florida or Southern Pine Snake)

   Photo by Patrick Houston Briggs  (Below is a San Diego Gopher Snake race from Ventura, California)

Below is a Great Basin Gophersnake Pituophis catenifer deserticola

(from near Dove Springs of Red Rock Canyon in the Mojave Desert)

Photo by Patrick Houston Briggs Courtesy Chris Hooke

  1. Pituophis catenifer affinis                         (Hollowell, 1852)                Sonoran Gopher Snake

  2. Pituophis catenifer annectens                  (Baird & Girard, 1853)       San Diego Gopher Snake

  3. Pituophis catenifer catenifer                 (Blainville, 1835)              Pacific Gopher Snake

  4. Pituophis catinifer coronalis                   (Klauber, 1946)               Coronado Island Gopher Snake

  5. Pituophis catenifer deserticola              (Stejneger, 1893)            Great Basin Gopher Snake

  6. Pituophis catenifer fuliginatus               (Klauber, 1946)                San Martin Gopher Snake

  7. Pituophis catenifer pumilis                      (Klauber, 1946)               Channel Islands Gopher Snake

  8. Pituophis catenifer sayi                            (Schlegil, 1837)               Common Bull Snake

  9. Pituophis deppei deppei                           (Dumeril, 1853)               Mexican Pine Snake

10. Pituophis deppei jani                                (Cope, 1860)                    Northern Mexican Pine Snake

11. Pituophis insulanus                                   (Klauber, 1946)              Cedros Island Gopher Snake

12. Pituophis lineaticollis lineaticollis           (Cope, 1861)                   Cincuate Bull Snake 

13. Pituophis lineaticollis gibsoni                   (Stuart, 1954)                Guatamalan Bull Snake

14. Pituophis melanoleucus lodingi               (Blanchard, 1924)         Black Pine Snake

15. Pituophis melanoleucus melanoleucus  (Daudin, 1803)              Northern Pine Snake 

16. Pituophis melanoleucus mugitus             (Barbour, 1921)            Florida Pine Snake  

17. Pituophis ruthveni                                       (Stull, 1929)                  Louisiana Pine Snake

18. Pituophis vertebralis bimaris                     (Blainville, 1835)         Mid-Baja California Gopher Snake

19. Pituophis vertebralis vertebralis               (Blainville, 1835)          Cape Gopher Snake

      *Vertebralis and Bimaris are sometimes considered Pattern Classes of Vertebralis. (e.g. L. Grismer 2002) 

   Other authorities place them as subspecies of catenifer. I've listed them as vertebralis species and bimaris & vertebralis subspecies.      

             San Martin Island Gopher Snake                                                 Louisiana Pine Snake                                                   Guatamalan Bull Snake

http://www.freewebs.com/slitherbriggs/pcfuliginatus.htm http://www.freewebs.com/slitherbriggs/pruthveni.htm http://www.freewebs.com/slitherbriggs/plgibsoni.htm

           Coronado Island Gopher Snake                                         Channel Islands Gopher Snake                                                      Northern Mexican Pine Snake 

 http://www.freewebs.com/slitherbriggs/pccoronalis.htm http://www.freewebs.com/slitherbriggs/pcpumilis.htm http://www.freewebs.com/slitherbriggs/pdjani.htm

           Cedros Island Gopher Snake                                            Mexican Pine Snake                                                                 Mid-Baja California Gopher Snake     

http://www.freewebs.com/slitherbriggs/pinsulanus.htm http://www.freewebs.com/slitherbriggs/pddeppei.htm http://www.freewebs.com/slitherbriggs/pvbimarisvertebralis.htm

Photos above by Patrick Houston Briggs Courtesy J. Ginter and T. Moisi, SDSNH, & SBMNH

 If you have any current information, want to contribute great pituophis photos, or if you see some errors on any of the pages of this site, please

 Contact me: PATRICK BRIGGS @ 1slitherbriggs@comcast.net

 Ya que hablo, escribo, y leo espanol, en el futuro, tambien,  hare este sitio de Pituophis en espanol.

This will be a progressive site for adding both images and information.

If you have a clear pituophis image with a valid geographical location or significant information, Send it to me. I will post it.