Class: Reptilia Order: Squamata Family: Colubridae Genus: Pantherophis Species: Vulpinus
The Eastern Fox Snake is considered a large snake with a copper-colored head distinctly wider than its neck. Their back color will range from yellow to bronze with 34-42 reddish brown blotches and an alternating row of brown spots along each side. The belly is yellow and boldly marked with black. Young of this species have a color paler than in adults with blotches rich brown and narrowly edged with black or dark brown. Their dark lines on their head fade and become difficult to define as the snake approaches adulthood.
The Eastern Fox Snake can be found in the Great Lakes Region and upper Midwest. They prefer diverse habitats like marshes, prairies, woodlands, riverways, and even farm fields, utilizing shoreline, forest edges, and old structures for shelter, hunting rodents and birds.
In the wild their diet will consist of small mammals, birds and their eggs as well as their nestlings. In captivity, they eat rodents.
Help Feed Our Fox SnakeThe Eastern Fox Snake’s blotched pattern and habit of vibrating its tail when threatened often lead people to mistake it for a venomous rattlesnake or copperhead, resulting in unnecessary killing. This species is completely nonvenomous and generally calm, posing no danger to humans.
Although mainly a ground-dwelling species, the Eastern Fox Snake occasionally climbs into low vegetation or shrubs. It is also an excellent swimmer, which allows it to thrive in wetland habitats such as marshes, river edges, and lakeshores. These behaviors enable it to hunt a variety of prey, including rodents and birds, across diverse environments.
When threatened, the Eastern Fox Snake releases a strong musky odor from its cloacal glands. This scent, reminiscent of fox urine, is the origin of its common name. Combined with rapid tail vibrations, this musky discharge helps deter predators, even though the snake is completely harmless to humans.
