As a result, gopher snakes can often avoid confrontation without needing to rely on their non-venomous nature for survival.

[8] Its preference for agricultural fields and open spaces makes it an important natural pest controller in its ecosystem, helping manage rodent populations.

[5] When threatened, this species will inflate its body, flatten its head, and vigorously shake its tail, which may produce a rattling sound if done in dry vegetation.

[11] Due to the color of their skin pattern, gopher snakes can seek camouflage in gardens and near rocks.

[11] These defenses consist of a viper's strike pose and a rattlesnake's tail shake that prevent predators from wanting to approach a venomous snake.

[12] Pacific gopher snakes prefer warmer temperatures, ideally around 75 to 90 °F (24 to 32 °C), and drier habitats such as meadows, fields and agricultural farmlands.

[14] They will undergo periods of inactivity in the winter from the months of Late November to March, often residing in abandoned burrows left by other animals.

[4] Pacific gopher snakes are an oviparous species whose males begin competing for the opportunity to mate with females from June to August.

When a female finally successfully mates, she spends up to six weeks locating and preparing an ideal nesting site.

[5] These snakes can be found in habitats varying from covered woodland to arid deserts but prefer open prairies or grassy meadows.

Gopher snakes create an advantage in maintaining the health of the environment and the population of small mammals like rodents for other predators, and therefore explains why their species remains of least concern.

[16] Although their population is generally stable, they still face concerns such as habitat loss, human encroachment, and persecution due to being commonly mistaken as a venomous rattlesnake.

Other threats such as human activities that lead to unintentional killings play a role in the impact of the gopher snake's conservation.