Eastern Fox Snake
(Elaphe gloydi)
|
|
|
Eastern Fox Snake (Elaphe gloydi) |
|
Color Photograph: Ohio Department of Natural Resources
|
Elaphe vulpina The Western Fox Snake has a separate range west of that of the Eastern Fox Snake. The color is typically darker and the number of bloches on the back of the body averages 41, not 34.
Agkistrodon contortrix The Copperhad has a more southern distribution and does not occur with the Eastern Fox Snake. The pattern of the Copperhad is banded without the discrete dark blotches of the Eastern Fox Snake Eastern Fox Snake (Elaphe gloydi) Identification: Snake 34 to 70 inches in length. Body color yellow to yellow-brown. Back with a series of dark brown to black blotches with an average of 34 dark blotches on the body (excluding the tail). Side with two alternating rows of dark spots. Belly yellowish with dark, square patches. A weak, dark band extends from the angle of the mouth to the eye and a second line stretches from the bottom of the eye perpendicularly to the edge of the mouth. Top of head without a v-shaped dark pattern. Scales keeled and anal plate divided. Geographical Variation: None. Range (see map on left): The range of this species is limited to the northern margins of Lake Erie and the southern shores of Lake Huron. Habitat: The Eastern Fox Snake is found in wet meadows and marshes along the shores of Lake Erie and Lake Huron. Food: Small mammals, bird eggs, and nestlings. Behavior: The Eastern Fox Snake is diurnal. The species is an excellent climber and is sometimes seen high in trees. It is also well at home in water. Threatened individuals often shake their tail in leaves and grass making a rattling sound. Reproduction: The clutch consists of 6 to 30 eggs laid from late June to early August. The young hatch between August and October. Note: The taxonomy for this segment of Nearctica follows, Collins and Taggart, 2007, Center for North American Herpetology, http://www.cnah.org./. Many herpetologists do not accept the division of the Fox Snake into two species; the Eastern Fox Snake (Elaphe gloydi) and the Western Fox Snake (Elaphe vulpina). If this latter interpretation is accepted, the accepted name is Fox Snake (Elaphe vulpina).
|
Eastern Fox Snake (Elaphe gloydi)
Similar Species: Western Fox Snake (Elaphe vulpina) Copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix)
|
Similar Species
|
 |
