Bullsnake

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//Pituophis catenifer sayi// Order: Squamata =**__Husbandry Information__**=

Diet Requirements

 * In the wild, bullsnakes eat rodents, other small mammals, birds, eggs, and frogs.
 * In captivity, they are fed rodents.

Notes on Enrichment & Training


=__Programmatic Information__=

Potential Messaging

 * Snakes are an important link in the food chain. They provide food for many bird and mammal species that prey on them. The main diet of most snakes is rodents. Therefore, snakes provide a very valuable service – pest control. Most snakes are non-venomous and will avoid humans if they can. Venomous snakes want to use their venom to kill small prey animals or to defend themselves; since humans are too big to be considered prey by most snakes, the best way to avoid a bite is not to make the snake feel threatened. Ask guests to avoid any snakes they may see in the wild and appreciate them from a distance. [][]

=__Acquisition Information__=

=__Comments from the Rating System__=
 * Lee Richardson Zoo: Often aggressive. Will open mouth and display often. Rarely bite but are active and less than ideal for most audiences.

=__Natural History Information__=

Range and Habitat
Bullsnakes are found in the central United States: east of the Rockies to western Indiana, north to southern Canada, and south through central and western Texas into northeast Mexico. Preferred habitat is grassy plains and prairies; sandy, semi-desert cactus “forests;” and wheat fields.

Physical Description
 The ground color varies from straw yellow over the entire body to white in the neck region, dull yellow-brown on the midbody, and a cleaner, brighter yellow on the tail. Bullsnakes have over 40 large, dark body blotches. These blotches are usually black in the neck region turning to lighter brown or reddish brown on the midbody. These blotches turn into dark bands or rings on the tail. The head is boldly marked: therere is a stripe across the top of the head from eye to eye, barring on the labial scales, and a stripe from the eye to the corner of the mouth. The scales are keeled, meaning there is a ridge running down the center of each scale, giving the snake an overall rougher feel.  Bullsnakes are one of the largest snakes in North America, averaging about 5 feet in length.

Life Cycle
 In late June and July, females will lay about a dozen large eggs. The eggs are 3.5 to 4 inches long, and new hatchlings are about 18 inches long.  Average lifespan is 12 to 25 years.

Behavior
 Bullsnakes are capable burrowers, but they often shelter in mammal burrows or in the cavities formed by the root systems of fallen trees.  When a wild bullsnake is threatened, escape is the first line of defense. However, if a snake feels cornered, it will flatten its head and spread its jaws, which gives the head a diamond shape, puff up its body with air, and let out a hair-raising hiss. No other North American snake can hiss like a //Pituophis// can! The hiss is not only loud, but very raspy-sounding due to a flap of cartilage in front of the trachea that vibrates as air passes by it. Sometimes the aggressive behavior is a bluff, and they may be slow to actually bite, but many mean business and will strike and bite with vigor. Furthermore, bullsnakes vibrate their tails, which produces a buzzing sound when in contact with leaves or dry grass. These defensive behaviors cause many of them to be killed as rattlesnakes (a case of mimicry backfiring!) However, timber rattlesnakes have black tails with tan rattles, and both timber and prairie rattlesnakes hold their tales high up in the air while rattling.

Threats and Conservation Status
Bullsnakes are not considered endangered, but they could be in trouble because of habitat loss and degredation.

=__Did you know…__=

=__Photographs__=

=__Contributors and Citations__=
 * The Philadelphia Zoo
 * Houston Zoo, Natural Encounters