The things you find hiking in Peters Canyon. This is a Pacific Gopher Snake — Nature’s Great Impersonator. Stretching across the sun-warmed trail, this Pacific Gopher Snake (Pituophis Catenifer Catenifer) looks every bit like a rattlesnake at first glance, and that’s exactly the point. When threatened, it flattens its head, hisses, and even vibrates its tail to mimic its venomous cousin. But look closer: its head is slender, its pupils round, and its tail ends smoothly with no rattle in sight. C