Description: Adults average 4.17 to 6.00 feet in total length. The saddle-shaped dorsal blotches are reddish brown, except for near and on the tail, where they are dark brown or blackish. The rostral is about as long as it is broad, not elongated as in other Pituophis subspecies.

Habitat: It primarily inhabits the Sonoran Desert ecosystem of the Southwest USA, and into northern Mexico.

Range: It is found from central Texas across the Southwestern United States to southeastern California, Arizona, and south into the northern states of Mexico.

Found in these States: AZ | CA | NM | TX

Diet: They feed on small rodents, hence the common name gopher snake.

Reproduction: P. c. affinis is oviparous. Adult females lay 7 to 22 eggs in July or August. The eggs average 2.0 inches x 1.4 inches. The hatchlings are about 15.5 inches in total length.

Status: Listed as Least Concern in view of the large and relatively stable extent of occurrence, area of occupancy, number of subpopulations, and population size. No major threats exist.

Taxonomy: