- Who
- bull snake Pituophis catenifer sayi
- What
- 2.6 metre(s)
- Where
- United States ()
- When
The bull snake Pituophis catenifer sayi is a familiar subspecies of the North American gopher snake, and is one of the largest snakes in the US Midwest. It can often attain a length of up to 1.5 m, but the longest specimen on record measured 2.6 m, thereby making it longer than some of the rattlesnakes that the bull snake – a harmless, non-venomous form – famously impersonates in order to ward off would-be predators.
In addition to its famous rattlesnake impersonations, the bull snake is also well known for the surprisingly loud, bovine grunt that it voices, which can be heard up to 30 m away, and hence is very different to the more subtle hissing sounds that most snakes make. It is able to produce this loud grunt because of its exceptionally well-developed epiglottis, which greatly enhances the sound produced when air is being forced through the glottis.
