bull snake

bull snake

      North American constrictor snake of the family Colubridae. These snakes are called bull snakes over much of their range; however, in the western United States they are often called gopher snakes. Bull snakes are rather heavy-bodied, small-headed, and may reach 2.5 metres (8 feet) in length. Typical coloration is yellowish brown or creamy, with dark blotches. The nose shield is enlarged for digging. They are related to pine snakes (P. melanoleucus) of the eastern and southern United States and the Mexican bull snake (P. deppei) of north central and western Mexico.

      Bull snakes can be found in sandy, open country and in pine barrens, where they eat mainly rodents but also prey on birds and lizards. In defense they hiss loudly and thrash about while vibrating their tail. Bull snakes are therefore frequently mistaken for rattlesnakes. Bull snakes may bite, but they are not venomous. They are egg-layers.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Bull snake — Bull Bull, a. Of or pertaining to a bull; resembling a bull; male; large; fierce. [1913 Webster] {Bull bat} (Zo[ o]l.), the night hawk; so called from the loud noise it makes while feeding on the wing, in the evening. {Bull calf}. (a) A stupid… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Bull snake — may refer to:* Pituophis catenifer, a harmless colubrid found in North America. * Pituophis melanoleucus , a.k.a. the pine snake, a harmless colubrid found in North America …   Wikipedia

  • Bull Snake — Taxobox name = Bull Snake regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata classis = Reptilia ordo = Squamata subordo = Serpentes familia = Colubridae genus = Pituophis species = P. catenifer subspecies = P. c. sayi trinomial = Pituophis catenifer sayi… …   Wikipedia

  • bull snake — noun any of several large harmless rodent eating North American burrowing snakes • Syn: ↑bull snake • Hypernyms: ↑colubrid snake, ↑colubrid • Hyponyms: ↑gopher snake, ↑Pituophis melanoleucus, ↑ …   Useful english dictionary

  • bull snake — bullsnake ull snake , bull snake ull snake (b[oo^]l sn[=a]k ), n. any of several large harmless rodent eating North American burrowing snakes of the genus {Pituophis}. They include the {gopher snake} and {pine snake}. Syn: . [WordNet 1.5] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • bull snake — Pine Pine, n. [AS. p[=i]n, L. pinus.] 1. (Bot.) Any tree of the coniferous genus {Pinus}. See {Pinus}. [1913 Webster] Note: There are about twenty eight species in the United States, of which the {white pine} ({Pinus Strobus}), the {Georgia pine} …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • bull-snake — noun any of several large harmless rodent eating North American burrowing snakes • Syn: ↑bull snake • Hypernyms: ↑colubrid snake, ↑colubrid • Hyponyms: ↑gopher snake, ↑Pituophis melanoleucus, ↑ …   Useful english dictionary

  • bull snake — noun Date: 1784 any of several large harmless constricting colubrid snakes (genus Pituophis) especially of the central and western United States that feed chiefly on rodents and are classified either as subspecies of the pine snake (P.… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • bull snake — noun a large constricting snake of the North American plains. [Pituophis catenifer sayi.] …   English new terms dictionary

  • Bull — Bull, a. Of or pertaining to a bull; resembling a bull; male; large; fierce. [1913 Webster] {Bull bat} (Zo[ o]l.), the night hawk; so called from the loud noise it makes while feeding on the wing, in the evening. {Bull calf}. (a) A stupid fellow …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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