In many ways, Slinky is your typical gopher snake. But those typical snake instincts got him into a little trouble when he ended up seeking shelter in a train car. After being discovered and mistaken for a rattlesnake (!), Slinky made his way to Things That Creep and has served as a much loved animal ambassador since 2017, helping shift snake perspectives while being held and touched gently by hundreds of students each year.

Like Slinky, many snakes face threats from humans just for acting within their natural instincts. While there are many things we can do to keep gopher snakes safe, one of the most important things we can do for all of our snake neighbors is to slow for snakes when driving in areas and at times when they are most likely to be basking on the road. Read on to learn more about Slinky and why it’s important to slow for snakes! 

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GOPHER SNAKE FAST FACTS:

• Slinky is a gopher snake (Pituophis catenifer)

• Gopher snakes are one of the most common snakes found in the Bay Area, as they are found in almost every ecosystem in California.

• They are critical for keeping many homes and gardens rodent free.

• HARMLESS TO HUMANS, these snakes are often mistaken as rattlesnakes due to their similar coloration. Additionally, when threatened, they shake their tails and flatten their heads, adding to the confusion.

• One of the largest snakes in California - these large snakes can grow over 5 feet long!

• Gopher snakes get their name from the fact that they often use burrows and tunnels created by gophers.

• Gopher snakes are constrictors and are known to eat small mammals such as rats, voles, gophers and mice, as well as birds and their eggs, lizards, and insects.

Slow for Snakes! 

As they are cold blooded, many snakes find themselves seeking warm spots where they can bring their body temperatures up, especially on warm evenings. Unfortunately, this often means finding themselves exposed on paved roads roads and open trails. Snakes are killed after encounters with humans for going about their natural behavior and these deaths are completely preventable. 

Here are a few things you can do to prevent injury and death for Slinky and snakes like him in the Bay Area: 

• Slow your driving speed on back roads, especially in areas that are known to have lots of snake activity. Snakes are often seeking the last heat of the day on paved roads in the early evening and into the night.

• If you see a snake in the road while driving, go around it and do not run over it! If you can identify and safely (for yourself and the snake) move the snake off the road, move it to the side of the road in the direction it was headed. Snakes are not able to recover from vehicle collisions.

• Snakes are also seen on trails, where they can often find good spots to sun themselves. If you see a snake on an isolated trail, leave it alone! If it’s a busy trail, you can encourage the snake to move off the trail gently with a stick so that no one steps on it or runs over it with a bike. Do not touch the snake if it is venomous or you cannot identify the snake.

• If you encounter a snake (or other animals) that has been killed by a vehicle, report it on https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/california-state-roadkill. Reporting roadkill adds valuable data, so that researchers can understand and try to influence the factors that contribute to roadkill. It’s through this data that we can see that gopher snakes are currently the most commonly snake killed by cars in California.