Pantherophis vulpina
Encyclopedia
The Western Fox Snake is a species
of non-venomous colubrid
snake
.
n snakes, fox snakes are not venomous
. Fox snakes earned their name because the musk they give off when threatened smells similar to a fox
.
, from Wisconsin
west to South Dakota
and south to Illinois
and Indiana
. The range of the closely related Eastern Fox Snake, Pantherophis gloydi
, skirts the Great Lakes
in Michigan, Ohio and Ontario. The two species do not overlap and there is no intergrade zone.
, but may hunt at night during the hot summer months. Like all snakes, fox snakes are cold-blooded
and cannot adjust their own body temperature, so these snakes often hide in burrows or under logs or rocks to stay safe from extremely hot or cold weather. In winter, they hibernate
underground, where they can avoid freezing temperatures.
These docile, harmless snakes use several tricks to try and scare away predators
. They may shake their tail
s in dry leaves to trick other animals into thinking that they are rattlesnake
s. They can also give off a stinky musk
from glands near their tail, to make them smell less appetizing to other animals. As a last resort, these snakes may hiss loudly and strike at the threat, to try and bluff their way to safety.
s. Their primary diet
consists of mice
and other small rodent
s, but they will take any prey small enough to swallow whole, including young rabbit
s, frog
s, fledglingbird
s, and eggs. As constrictors
, they subdue their prey by squeezing it between their coils.
under a log or in debris on the forest
floor. These hatch after an approximately 60 day incubation period. Young fox snakes are usually much lighter in color than adults.
They are often a welcome sight around farmland, where they consume a large number of rodents that can otherwise be harmful to crops, or transmit parasites to captive animal stocks. Though, they are opportunistic feeders, and will sometimes also eat fledgling chicken
s or eggs, which sometimes leads them to be erroneously called the chicken snake
.
or CITES. While this snake is common within its range, many states have protected it, primarily to prevent over-collection for the pet
trade.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of non-venomous colubrid
Colubrid
A colubrid is a member of the snake family Colubridae. This broad classification of snakes includes about two-thirds of all snake species on earth. The earliest species of the snake family date back to the Oligocene epoch. With 304 genera and 1,938 species, Colubridae is the largest snake family...
snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
.
Description
Western Fox Snakes are three to six feet long snakes with a black and yellow checkerboard pattern on their belly. They are usually light golden brown with dark brown spots and a short, flattened snout. Like most North AmericaNorth America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n snakes, fox snakes are not venomous
Venomous snake
"Poisonous snake" redirects here. For true poisonous snakes, see Rhabdophis.Venomous snakes are snakes which have venom glands and specialized teeth for the injection of venom...
. Fox snakes earned their name because the musk they give off when threatened smells similar to a fox
Fox
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
.
Range
The upper Midwestern United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, from Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
west to South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
and south to Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
and Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
. The range of the closely related Eastern Fox Snake, Pantherophis gloydi
Pantherophis gloydi
The Eastern Fox Snake is a species of Fox Snake.-Speciation:The Eastern Fox Snake is a North American Rat Snake...
, skirts the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
in Michigan, Ohio and Ontario. The two species do not overlap and there is no intergrade zone.
Behavior
These strong, agile snakes are also excellent climbers but are more often found on the ground. Fox snakes are diurnalDiurnal animal
Diurnality is a plant or animal behavior characterized by activity during the day and sleeping at night.-In animals:Animals that are not diurnal might be nocturnal or crepuscular . Many animal species are diurnal, including many mammals, insects, reptiles and birds...
, but may hunt at night during the hot summer months. Like all snakes, fox snakes are cold-blooded
Poikilotherm
A poikilotherm is an organism whose internal temperature varies considerably. It is the opposite of a homeotherm, an organism which maintains thermal homeostasis. Usually the variation is a consequence of variation in the ambient environmental temperature...
and cannot adjust their own body temperature, so these snakes often hide in burrows or under logs or rocks to stay safe from extremely hot or cold weather. In winter, they hibernate
Hibernation
Hibernation is a state of inactivity and metabolic depression in animals, characterized by lower body temperature, slower breathing, and lower metabolic rate. Hibernating animals conserve food, especially during winter when food supplies are limited, tapping energy reserves, body fat, at a slow rate...
underground, where they can avoid freezing temperatures.
These docile, harmless snakes use several tricks to try and scare away predators
Predation
In ecology, predation describes a biological interaction where a predator feeds on its prey . Predators may or may not kill their prey prior to feeding on them, but the act of predation always results in the death of its prey and the eventual absorption of the prey's tissue through consumption...
. They may shake their tail
Tail
The tail is the section at the rear end of an animal's body; in general, the term refers to a distinct, flexible appendage to the torso. It is the part of the body that corresponds roughly to the sacrum and coccyx in mammals, reptiles, and birds...
s in dry leaves to trick other animals into thinking that they are rattlesnake
Rattlesnake
Rattlesnakes are a group of venomous snakes of the genera Crotalus and Sistrurus of the subfamily Crotalinae . There are 32 known species of rattlesnake, with between 65-70 subspecies, all native to the Americas, ranging from southern Alberta and southern British Columbia in Canada to Central...
s. They can also give off a stinky musk
Musk
Musk is a class of aromatic substances commonly used as base notes in perfumery. They include glandular secretions from animals such as the musk deer, numerous plants emitting similar fragrances, and artificial substances with similar odors. Musk was a name originally given to a substance with a...
from glands near their tail, to make them smell less appetizing to other animals. As a last resort, these snakes may hiss loudly and strike at the threat, to try and bluff their way to safety.
Diet
Like all snakes, fox snakes are strict carnivoreCarnivore
A carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of animal tissue, whether through predation or scavenging...
s. Their primary diet
Diet (nutrition)
In nutrition, diet is the sum of food consumed by a person or other organism. Dietary habits are the habitual decisions an individual or culture makes when choosing what foods to eat. With the word diet, it is often implied the use of specific intake of nutrition for health or weight-management...
consists of mice
Mouse
A mouse is a small mammal belonging to the order of rodents. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse . It is also a popular pet. In some places, certain kinds of field mice are also common. This rodent is eaten by large birds such as hawks and eagles...
and other small rodent
Rodent
Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing....
s, but they will take any prey small enough to swallow whole, including young rabbit
Rabbit
Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world...
s, frog
Frog
Frogs are amphibians in the order Anura , formerly referred to as Salientia . Most frogs are characterized by a short body, webbed digits , protruding eyes and the absence of a tail...
s, fledglingbird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s, and eggs. As constrictors
Constriction
Constriction is a method used by various snake species to kill their prey. Although some species of venomous and mildly-venomous snakes do use constriction to subdue their prey, most snakes which use constriction lack venom. The snake initially strikes at its prey and holds on, pulling the prey...
, they subdue their prey by squeezing it between their coils.
Life history
Fox snakes mate in April and May. Males wrestle with one another for the right to mate with females. In June, July, or August, the female will bury a clutch of 7 to 27 eggsEgg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
under a log or in debris on the forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
floor. These hatch after an approximately 60 day incubation period. Young fox snakes are usually much lighter in color than adults.
They are often a welcome sight around farmland, where they consume a large number of rodents that can otherwise be harmful to crops, or transmit parasites to captive animal stocks. Though, they are opportunistic feeders, and will sometimes also eat fledgling chicken
Chicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
s or eggs, which sometimes leads them to be erroneously called the chicken snake
Chicken snake
Chicken snake may refer to:* Elaphe alleghaniensis, a.k.a. the eastern rat snake, a harmless colubrid found in North America* Elaphe guttata, a.k.a. the corn snake, a harmless colubrid found in North America...
.
Conservation status
The Western Fox Snake is not listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened and Endangered SpeciesIUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...
or CITES. While this snake is common within its range, many states have protected it, primarily to prevent over-collection for the pet
Pet
A pet is a household animal kept for companionship and a person's enjoyment, as opposed to wild animals or to livestock, laboratory animals, working animals or sport animals, which are kept for economic or productive reasons. The most popular pets are noted for their loyal or playful...
trade.