gopher snake

noun

1. a bullsnake, Pituophis melanoleucus, of western North America, that invades burrows to prey on rodents.

2. indigo snake.

Word History and Origins

Origin of gopher snake¹

An Americanism dating back to 1830–40

Example Sentences

Downtown's Pershing Square supports mourning doves, Vaux's swifts, gopher snakes and exotic streaktails, a type of fly that feeds on aphids.

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She isn’t likely to see many humans out here, only coyotes and gopher snakes and worse.

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When it moved, I realized it was actually a 6-foot Pacific gopher snake.

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Scattered across it were the remains of prey: disarticulated jackrabbit feet, gopher snakes, red-tailed hawks.

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Often confused with gopher snakes, rattlesnakes have wide triangular heads and thin necks.

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