The Difference Between a Carpet Python & a Bullsnake

Both carpet pythons and bullsnakes are constrictors. Pythons or constrictors are primitive snakes that possess a pelvic girdle and hind limbs, in the form of spurs at the base of the tail. Neither of these snakes is venomous and both kill their prey by squeezing them to death. Similarities between the two species tend to end there and the bullsnake is native to North America, while the carpet python is found in Australia and north into New Guinea. Carpet pythons are a subspecies of the diamond python.

  1. Habitat

    • The bullsnake is found in North America, where it inhabits pine and oak forests, prairies and sandy areas. In western North America, the bullsnake is known as a gopher snake, while it is called a pine snake in eastern North America. This snake is occasionally incorrectly considered to be a rattlesnake, because it produces a hissing vocalization. Carpet pythons are found in various habitats from rain forests to scrub areas. The carpet python is principally an arboreal, or tree-dwelling, constrictor, while the bullsnake hunts mainly in underground burrows.

    Anatomy

    • The American bullsnake is up to 5 feet in length and possesses a substantial nose shield, which the reptile uses when digging. Bullsnakes range in color from cream to brown. A number of specimens have a yellow coloration. Darker brown and black markings overlay the background color of this snake. The potential adult size of carpet pythons varies considerably, with the queensland carpet python growing to 10 feet long. The Irian Jaya carpet python is smaller and reaches a maximum length of between 4 and 6 feet. The color of carpet pythons is highly variable, with the eastern populations being a dark brown to olive-green. These specimens have dark-edged cream to pale yellowish blotches. Other carpet python populations are reddish to gray.

    Diet

    • The bullsnake feeds mainly on burrowing mammals, such as ground squirrels, gophers and rabbits. This species will also take small rodents, like mice, and ground-nesting birds and their eggs. Carpet pythons hunt rodents, such as rats and mice, together with a number of marsupial animals.

    Reproduction

    • The bullsnakes mate in spring. Female snakes dig a shallow burrow in the sand and lay up to 20 cream-colored eggs. These eggs hatch between 64 to 80 days. The neonate, or newborn, snakes range between 1 and 1 1/2 foot long. The bullsnake does not care for its young. Carpet python lay approximately 18 eggs, which hatch on average, after 40 days.