• Visitors stand on the boardwalk of Grand Prismatic, the park's largest hot spring which is ringed with orange, brown and yellow runoff channels.

    Yellowstone

    National Park ID,MT,WY

Bullsnake

A bullsnake slides through the grass
Scientific name: Pituophis catenifer sayi

Identification
  • A subspecies of the gopher snake, it is Yellowstone's largest reptile; ranges from 50 to 72 inches long.
  • Yellowish with a series of black, brown, or reddish-brown blotches down the back; the darkest, most contrasting colors are near the head and tail; blotches are shaped as rings around the tail.
  • Head resembles a turtle's in shape, with a protruding scale at the tip of the snout and a dark band extending from the top of the head through the eye to the lower jaw.
Habitat
  • In Yellowstone, found at lower elevations, drier, warmer climates, and open areas such as near Mammoth.
Behavior
  • Lives in burrows and eats small rodents; behavior that gave the gopher snake its name.
  • Often mistaken for a rattlesnake because of its appearance and its defensive behavior; when disturbed it will coil up, hiss loudly, and vibrate its tail against the ground, producing a rattling sound.

Did You Know?

Bear Cubs

Even though the animals of Yellowstone seem tame they are still wild. Feeding the animals is not permitted in any way, and all visitors must keep 100 yards away from wolves and bears, and 25 yards from other animals.