Scientific Name: Pituophis melanoleucus

Temporal Activity: Diurnal (nocturnal in extreme heat).

Diet: Mostly mammals, birds, and eggs.

Predators:  Preyed upon by hawks, owls, coyoyes, and ringtails.

Breeding: 2-24 eggs hatch in the summer.  Males have combats during the spring mating season.

Vegetation Association: Found in a wide variety of habitats: ponderosa pine forest, pinon-juniper woodland, grasslands, scrublands, sandhills, marshes, and cultivated fields.

Notes: May reach up to 9 ft. in length. May be mistaken for a rattlesnake.  It is a great rodent catcher.

Photo: Taken at Coon Bluff on July 23, 2006. For more photos click on camera icon.