Eastern Foxsnake

Description

The Eastern foxsnake is a large snake that can grow to a maximum length of about 1.7 m, though most individuals are between 0.91 and 1.37 m. They have a base colour which varies from yellow to light brown, with a pattern of large dark blotches down their back and smaller blotches along their sides. The head of an adult foxsnake is noticeably distinct from the rest of its body, ranging in colour from orange to reddish-brown and with dark bars around its eyes. The belly of the foxsnake is yellow with brown patches. Their scales are lightly keeled, meaning each scale has a small ridge down its centre.

Young foxsnakes are much less colourful, with greyish to tan bodies, lighter blotches, a light grey belly and an indistinct head colour. However, as with adults, juvenile foxsnakes have dark bars around their eyes, a helpful feature in their identification.

Habitat and Distribution

The Canadian range of the Eastern foxsnake is split into two distinct populations, both found in Southern Ontario: the Carolinian population and the Georgian Bay population. Globally, the Eastern foxsnake is only found in the Great Lakes region of North America, east of the Mississippi River and north of the Ohio River. Approximately 13 per cent of the Eastern foxsnake’s global range is contained within Canada.

Eastern foxsnakes tend to favour open habitats such as fields, areas with shallow soil and exposed rock, meadow marshes and young forests not dominated by large trees. They tend to live close to bodies of water, such as lakes, rivers, and wetlands, where they can be seen swimming between various areas of their habitat. They are also notable for their ability to climb trees and can often be found hunting in trees and shrubs, as high as 10 m off the ground.

Foxsnakes are highly active within their territories. They move between various locations in order to use a variety of habitat features for different purposes, such as thermoregulation, shelter and skin shedding. Such habitat features can include brush piles, flat rock formations, tree stumps, the root systems of downed trees and even man-made structures like wells and canals.

Eastern foxsnakes hibernate underground in the wintertime, gathering in large groups to weather the season below the frost line. Such winter dens, known as hibernacula, can occur in bedrock crevices, mammal burrows and human structures such as abandoned buildings and wells. In the Carolinian region, each hibernaculum generally has fewer than 20 snakes. However, in Georgian Bay, where hibernacula sites may be more limited, people have observed more than 200 individuals hibernating together.

Reproduction and Development

Eastern foxsnakes mate between May and June. Females lay 6─29 eggs in early to mid-July, often beneath decaying wood and leaf piles. Females may return to the same nesting site each year, sometimes travelling over 2 km to do so. In areas where suitable nesting sites are scarce, multiple females may lay their eggs together in the same place. In at least one instance, scientists noted a total of more than 80 eggs at a single site, laid by four different females.

The female stays with the eggs for 1─4 days before leaving them to develop on their own. After 50─65 days of incubation, the hatchlings will emerge from their eggs and may stay together for up to one week before dispersing. Eastern foxsnakes are 25─30 cm in length when they hatch. They take 4─5 years to reach maturity, living a total 12─15 years in the wild.

Diet and Predation

Eastern foxsnakes primarily eat small mammals but will consume bird eggs and baby birds when available. Biologists have observed Eastern foxsnakes consuming eggs from both ground-nesting and tree-nesting birds, climbing high into trees to hunt. When hunting larger prey, Eastern foxsnakes will coil their bodies around the animal and use constriction to subdue and kill it before consumption.

The predators of Eastern foxsnakes include birds, gulls, herons and egrets, as well as mammals such as raccoons, minks, fishers, foxes and skunks. When an Eastern foxsnake feels threatened, it will mimic a rattlesnake by vibrating its tail rapidly, producing a convincing “rattling” sound when in contact with dry leaves. This display can often intimidate would-be predators into leaving the foxsnake alone. If the threat remains, the foxsnake may emit a foul smell from a scent gland near the tail before attempting to flee. They are non-aggressive and very rarely bite, even defensively.

Status and Threats

The Eastern foxsnake is considered “least concern” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. However, the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada has categorized both of the Canadian populations as threatened. The Eastern foxsnake and its habitat have legal protections on both the provincial and federal level.

Eastern foxsnakes face threats from various sources, perhaps most significantly through habitat loss, road mortality and persecution by humans. The development of areas in Southern Ontario into agricultural and cottage property has greatly reduced foxsnake habitat and separated populations from one another. The roads associated with these developments additionally pose a significant threat, as foxsnakes are particularly active and will frequently make road crossings, increasing their risk of death and injury. Eastern foxsnakes also face persecution from humans, who mistakenly view them as dangerous and kill them on sight.