My sister from New Mexico sent me this snake picture she wants me to identify. I've no idea where she got the idea I know anything about snakes, all I know is leave them alone and hope they reciprocate. Well, I do know the head shape of a viper vs. others, but that's it. So what sort of snake is this? And there's no grass, so not a snake in the grass.

Gopher

Im thinking Gopher snake as well.

Leave him alone good chance he will leave you alone.


Im told they are good to have around...they help keep rattle snakes away....and mice population under control.

I have one about that size i see around here from time to time. Usually about dusk.

Good snake but don’t mess with it. They sometimes have a bad temperament.

There is such a thing as good snake ? lol

HARMLESS!

Dat be wrong ,Bro I caught a bunch of Gopher snakes as a young kid in the mountains in SO CA and found out most of them are gentle and won't bite you unless your to rough with them while catching them. They do eat rattle snakes according to local Indian that worked on a ranch near where I use to spend the summers with my Grandma camping out at a National Forest camp ground back in the early to mid 1950s.
There was another kid that wanted to become a snake specialist after going to college later, we caught every snake we could including Pacific Western rattle snakes which were very easy to catch and mild mannered and Timber or Diamondback rattlers, which were a lot meaner and harder to catch alive
Just what every 7 to 9 yr old kid should due on their summer vacations
I've caught and release a lot of snakes since then, my wife hates them, she screams loud and runs fast every time I brought one home