The first adaptation of a gopher snake you will see if you meet the adult is size. As North American snakes go, the gopher snake is one of the big ones. They grow from 4 to 8 feet long, and they have slender, muscular bodies. They are most fond of rodents for food, and lacking venom, they kill their prey by constriction. Once the gopher snake gets hold of its prey, it wraps its body around the animal -- sometimes a whole rabbit -- then contracts its muscles tightly, suffocating and sometimes crushing the animal.
Gopher snakes are formidable to rodents, but there are a few animals that are not only unafraid of this big snake, but also eat gopher snakes with some regularity. Coyotes, kit foxes and hawks are all snake eaters, so the gopher snake has evolved a strategy of camouflage. Gopher snakes vary in colors depending on their various habitats. Their scales are ridged or keeled, giving them a dull color. Their back pattern is a pale, earthy background with dark blotches that break up their outline and camouflages them.
Gopher snakes that are spotted by predatory species have evolved an alternate plan if their camouflage fails. Their pattern resembles that of their venomous cousin the rattlesnake, and they will vibrate their tails against fallen leaves to simulate the sound of a rattlesnake. Gopher snakes can even flatten their heads to make them appear more like a rattler and have the ability to hiss loudly. While this threatening display is effective against most animals when used with humans it has resulted in the snake's death in some cases.
The snake got its name because it likes to live underground. They will eat gophers, but the name stuck because of their propensity to burrow. Look closely at a gopher snake and you'll notice a thick, tipped up nose-plate that is ideal for burrowing. This is a last resort, because gopher snakes will readily take over the holes of moles, turtles and other subterranean dwellers.