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:
“Perhaps of all our untamed quadrupeds, the fox has obtained the widest and most familiar reputation.... His recent tracks still give variety to a winter’s walk. I tread in the steps of the fox that has gone before me by some hours, or which perhaps I have started, with such a tip-toe of expectation as if I were on the trail of the Spirit itself which resides in the wood, and expected soon to catch it in its lair.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“People can be as greedy as a snake trying to swallow an elephant.”
—Chinese proverb.