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Fox Snake(Elaphe gloydi)

Fox Snake | Warner Nature Center | 2.11 MB MPEG-1 Video

The Rattler's Unfortunate Look-alike

The fox snake, like the boa, is a non-venomous constrictor. Generally around from April to October, fox snakes are active by day during the spring and fall. They hide under debris during the summer, and only move about at night. They are excellent climbers, and are often found near rivers and streams. Younger snakes commonly feed on rodents, while adult snakes are known to feed on birds and their eggs.

The fox snake defends itself from larger predators by mimicking its poisonous cousin the rattler. When startled or angry, the fox snake will sometimes coil its body and rattle its tail. Though it does not have a "rattler", the fox snake is often found in woodland environments among dry grass and leaves. The combination of coiled snake and rattling leaves has not only fooled potential predators, but also humans. They are often needlessly killed when they are mistaken for rattlers, or, because of the golden scales on their crown, copperheads. This misidentification is easily avoided. Timber rattlers bear black arrow-shaped "cross-hairs" across their back and copperheads have connected brown-gold "bands". Fox snakes on the other hand, have black or black-red "splotches". 

Though there are currently no measures enacted to protect fox snakes in our area, they are illegal to kill or collect in Iowa. 

We would like to thank the staff at the Lee&Rose Warner Nature Center for taking the time to show me this specimen, as well as the Herpetology web sites of Minnesota and Iowa for their great wealth of information(www.herp.net.)

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