Gopher snake

Gopher snake

Gopher Snakes vary greatly in coloration. They are usually very heavily marked, with red or orange shaped blotches at the front of the dorsal surface and black, square blotches at the rear. In the middle of the body, there is a gradual transition from one type of marking to the other. The background color is usually yellow, red, orange or brown, although some animals from the northern part of the region are significantly darker. The Cape Gopher Snake's head is usually free of markings, although they may exhibit shading from dark orange to yellow or white. The head is narrow with tall lateral surfaces that end in a square at the dorsal surface. The neck is thinner than many snakes of the same family. Cape Gopher Snakes usually average between 36 and 66 inches, or 91.5 to 168cm, in length.

 

Two varieties of Cape Gopher Snake exist in captivity. These are the "normal" variety, in which breeders have encouraged the orange and red colorations, and the "hypomelanistic" variety. The second variety has been so named by the black pigmentation at the front of the body that has been greatly reduced.