by Rick LoBello

It’s been years since I have seen a bullsnake in El Paso. I was so happy to find one the other day at Castner Range National Monument.

I have been a snake lover and advocate of snakes all of my adult life. I got started on my career as a conservation educator when I was working on my first biology degree at William Jewell College in Missouri. My work study program involved taking care of a large collection of snakes including venomous timber rattlesnakes, copper heads, cotton mouth water moccasins and prairie rattlesnakes. One of the non-venomous snakes I cared for was a huge bullsnake.

I have learned over the years that bullsnakes are one of the most misunderstood snakes people encounter all across central and western North America, extending from southern Canada to northern Mexico. They can be found in a variety of habitats, including prairies, grasslands, deserts, woodlands, and agricultural fields.

Because of the widespread fear people have for rattlesnakes and how many to this day kill any snake they see, bullsnakes are often confused for rattlesnakes because of their color pattern and the fact that they rattle their tails like a rattle snake. That behavior combined with some fearless hissing sounds scares a lot of people. Many believe that the bullsnake is trying to immediate a rattlesnake when they rattle their tail. I thought that for years, but over time came to realize that many snakes rattle their tails. Do they instinctively act like rattlesnakes to scare people who might think they are venomous like a rattlesnake? I seriously doubt that conclusion. I believe that most snakes that rattle, including rattlesnakes, make sounds with their tails as a survival mechanism as if to say – watch out, don’t step on me or I will bite you.

When I was a park ranger at Big Bend National Park during the summer months at Panther Junction Park Headquarters we had a small collection of snakes that we used for reptile talks during the heat of the day. One day when I was telling the story of how snakes like bullsnakes are important to controlling rodents, a lady came up to me and said that she didn’t care. If she saw a snake in her garden she was going to kill it. I replied that the snakes were actually helping her garden by keeping rodents in check. She then replied, I have never seen a rodent in my garden.

SAVE THE DATE – On Saturday, July 26, 2025 the Zoo will have a special “Reptilia – Celebration of Snakes” event. Subscribe to this blog to learn more.

Photos

Top – Andrew Dubois, Wikimedia Creative Commons
Feature – Ed Olge,Wikimedia Creative Commons
Cover – BLM, Wikimedia Creative Commons