Fox Snake

Scientific Name: Pantherophis gloydi

Nick Name: Fox Snake

Size: 90 and 130 cm at adult size, but even larger specimens have also been reported.

Type: Non Venomous Snake

Appearance:  They are typically tan or grey in color with chocolate-brown blotches down their back and yellowish accents. The eastern fox snake has less blotches, that tend to be larger in size, than those of the western fox snake.

Nature: Fox snakes are primarily diurnal and terrestrial. Like many colubrid snakes, when harassed they will vibrate their tails, which frequently results in them to be mistaken for rattlesnakes. They are also capable of releasing a musky anal secretion which purportedly smells fox-like, hence their name.

Habitat: The eastern fox snake ranges in the states of Ohio and eastern Michigan, and the Canadian province of Ontario in flat, marshy areas along the shores of Lake Huron and Lake Erie. The western fox snake occurs in the open forests, prairies, and farmlands of western Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Iowa. Their ranges are not known to overlap.

Feeds on:  mainly rodents, but sometimes will also eat birds, rabbits, and juveniles often consume frogs and other small animals. They kill their prey via constriction.

Side Line:

• In the winter months fox snakes will hibernate, often congregating with other snakes, even those of other species, in suitable den sites.

• Mating occurs in the late spring and early summer months. A clutch averaging 15-20 eggs is laid in mid summer and normally hatches in early fall.

• The state of Michigan lists the eastern fox snake as threatened, largely due to habitat loss.