Mexican Bull Snake

Fascinating facts about the Mexican Bull Snake

• A single Mexican bullsnake can stretch up to 1.69 m (5.5 ft) long, with the last 18 cm (7.1 in) forming its tail.
• Despite its name, this snake thrives in a patchwork of environments, from forest, shrubland, and grassland to farms, suburbs, and even city yards, showing a surprising tolerance for human-altered landscapes.
• Its range spans more than a dozen Mexican states, including Aguascalientes, Coahuila, Guanajuato, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Mexico, Morelos, Nayarit, Nuevo León, Oaxaca, Puebla, Querétaro, San Luis Potosí, Sinaloa, Sonora, and Tamaulipas, illustrating a broad north-south distribution across the country.
• The species honors two people: the specific epithet *deppei* celebrates German artist Ferdinand Deppe, who collected specimens in Mexico, while the subspecific name *jani* commemorates Italian herpetologist Giorgio Jan.
• Two subspecies are recognized, *Pituophis deppei deppei*, the southern Mexican pine snake, and *Pituophis deppei jani*, the northern counterpart, highlighting subtle regional variations within this adaptable reptile.

At a glance

About the Mexican Bull Snake

The Mexican bullsnake, Pituophis deppei, is a non-venomous colubrid that occurs in the Mexican states of Aguascalientes, Coahuila, Guanajuato, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Mexico, Morelos, Nayarit, Nuevo León, Oaxaca, Puebla, Querétaro, San Luis Potosí, Sinaloa, Sonora, and Tamauripas. Dorsally it is yellow-tan with large dark brown to black quadrangular blotches and smaller dark spots on the sides; ventrally it is yellowish with squarish brown spots. Adults may attain a total length of 1.69 m (5.5 ft), including a tail length of 18 cm (7.1 in). It inhabits forest, shrubland, and grassland, and is also found in agricultural, suburban, and urban areas. The species is oviparous and has two recognized subspecies: P. d. deppei, the southern Mexican pine snake, and P. d. jani, the northern Mexican pine snake.

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