Not a bunch of bull

  Yes, the Bullsnake (Pituophis Melanoleucus sp.) has always been and probably will forever continue to be a favorite of mine, snake-wise.

Not a native of New England the bullsnake nevertheless remains a common if sometimes elusive denizen throughout much of it's range.

That range is most of the upper and lower Midwest as well as down into much of the Southwest and even beyond.  (Although the farther west and south you go the more taxonomists seem to be confused and divided as far as what is the dominant form of the bullsnake and what are variations that should be classified as separate species or subspecies.)

 The bullsnake itself when fully grown is an impressive animal. Adults typically average around 37-72 inches but have been known to go up to 100 inches. Coloring is typically a solid yellowish marked with reddish brown, black, or brown dorsal blotches set in a series where they are strongest in contrast to the snakes base color;  both ends closest the snakes head and tail.

Actual patterning and color can vary quite a bit depending on region where the snake is found. For example, the farther east you go is where the snakes tend to be darker, whereas in arid regions the color tends to be paler.

Habitat is most often plains, prairies, and other such open tracts of land (farmland especially as food is often abundant there) Clumps of vegetation, human refuse and other such things serve as cover for the snake when it is not active, which could be day or night depending on region and time of year.

 However, even when the snake is hunting and also where it seems most at home is in the already dug burrows of small mammals (prairie dogs, pocket gophers, etc) this is one reason why this snake is considered rare in certain parts of its range. But it is in fact simply able to keep a low profile in spite of its rather large size.

Diet for this species as you may now have guessed is basically any sort of small mammal the snake can overpower, even when first born bullsnakes are not particularly small or helpless and can often begin feeding on small rodents right away (many of them are just born too, of course) but have been known to take other more readily available fare (lizards, and even insects).

Adults do sometimes take birds and eggs as well. They are efficient, powerful constrictors with a rather wide girth and can easily subdue and swallow prey larger than you might expect, again they seem to do this best in the enclosed space of a burrow where they have the advantage of pinning the victim against the sides with their strong coils.

Being a non venomous species, the bullsnake is entirely harmless to people and may in fact be one of the most beneficial, with the snakes size and appetite even at a young age they often eat numerous pest species in a short time period when available.

In some cases, that means the entire nest of young and the parents of those young too. Although the bullsnake is not on the decline throughout most of its range, let’s keep in mind it's (only) good qualities and allow it to exist an animal, which is in its own way simply fantastic.