gopher snake

American  

noun

1. a bullsnake, Pituophis melanoleucus, of western North America, that invades burrows to prey on rodents.

2. indigo snake.

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Etymology

Origin of gopher snake

An Americanism dating back to 1830–40

Example Sentences

Dr. Ditmars fed him a six-foot gopher snake, turned a hose on his conqueror.

From Time Magazine Archive

The most spectacular example is the gopher snake of the southeastern United States.

From The Minds and Manners of Wild Animals A Book of Personal Observations by Hornaday, William Temple

The gopher snake was three or four feet long, and lay as straight as a stick across our path.

From A-Birding on a Bronco by Merriam, Florence A.

The gopher snake coiled, then slipped away silently through the grass.

From The Strength of the Pines by Marshall, Edison

A long, spotted gopher snake slipped through the dead grass on the ground beneath.

From The Strength of the Pines by Marshall, Edison