Fox snake is the common name given to two species of North American rat snakes. Neither poses a threat to humans, but it is killed by many people who mistake it for the Massasauga rattlesnake, which shares parts of its geographical range with the fox snake and is slightly venomous.
The eastern fox snake (Elaphe gloydi) is uncommon throughout its restricted range in Ontario, Michigan and Ohio where it is found only near Lakes Huron and Erie. The western fox snake (Elaphe vulpina) occurs in the open forests, prairies, and farmlands of western Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa, and South Dakota. Their ranges do not overlap.
Read more about Fox Snake: Taxonomy, Behavior, Reproduction, Conservation Status
Famous quotes containing the words fox and/or snake:
“Anybody depending on somebody else’s gods is depending on a fox not to eat chickens.”
—Zora Neale Hurston (1891–1960)
“If this creature is a murderer, then so are we all. This snake has killed one British soldier; we have killed many. This is not murder, gentlemen. This is war.”
—Administration in the State of Sout, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)