{"id":10713,"date":"2022-03-12T16:28:14","date_gmt":"2022-03-12T16:28:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.forestwildlife.org\/?p=10713"},"modified":"2023-02-22T07:00:57","modified_gmt":"2023-02-22T12:00:57","slug":"rattlesnake-vs-bull-snake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.forestwildlife.org\/rattlesnake-vs-bull-snake\/","title":{"rendered":"Rattlesnake Vs Bull Snake: Side By Side"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

You\u2019re out hiking in the woods<\/a>, and you come across a medium-sized snake with a mottled pattern. This snake begins hissing at you and shaking its tail. Naturally, you think, \u201crattlesnake.\u201d <\/em>But did you know there\u2019s another type of snake that behaves this way? The bull snake is often mistaken for the rattlesnake because of its behavior and similar patterning. In this article, we\u2019ll compare the rattlesnake vs. the bull snake so you can learn to tell them apart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Can You Tell a Rattlesnake from a Bull Snake?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"how
Rattlesnake<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Rattlesnakes are very different from bull snakes; but, at first glance, you may have a hard time telling them apart\u2013especially when it comes to their behavior when threatened. Let\u2019s take a look at each snake in turn, then discuss some of their similarities and differences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rattlesnake<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rattlesnakes are venomous pit vipers found throughout the United States. There are about 32 different species of rattlesnake in all. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most rattlesnakes have mottled patterns and are brown and gray in color, and each one has a distinctive light-colored rattle on its tail. Rattlesnakes generally grow 3 to 6 feet long, though some species can grow up to 8 feet long. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

These venomous snakes hunt a variety of small animals, especially rodents, lizards, frogs, and insects. They hunt by killing prey with venom; the sunken pits behind their nostrils allow them to sense the body heat of their prey and strike with great accuracy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bull Snake<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Bull snakes<\/a> are nonvenomous constrictors found throughout much of the southern and western regions of the United States. They are a single species of snake and have no subspecies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bull snakes are generally black or gray and beige in color, but they have similar mottled patterns with rattlesnakes, which is what frequently leads to their misidentification.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Britannica<\/a>, bull snakes can grow up to 8 feet long. They will hiss and shake their tail when threatened, which also gives them the appearance of rattlesnakes to the untrained observer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bull snakes primarily hunt small rodents, though they also eat a lot of birds and lizards. They kill prey by crushing and suffocating them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Similarities and Differences<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As you may have noticed from the preceding paragraphs, rattlesnakes and bull snakes have some obvious similarities and differences. Let\u2019s go through and take a closer look at these.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The similarities:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n