The lines on the head fade with age. Summary 5 Pantherophis obsoletus – also known as the western rat snake, black rat snake, pilot black snake, or simply black snake – is a nonvenomous species of Colubridae found in central North America. The Eastern Fox Snake's background color is yellowish to light brown. Breeding: Western Fox Snakes mate in late spring to early summer (April to July). Snakes for Sale Backwater Reptiles offers an absolutely huge selection of snakes for sale, from exotic vine snakes to captive-bred ball pythons, kingsnakes, corn snakes, and more. The head of adults is often reddish-orange or copper colored which leads people to mistake them for Copperheads. Size: 3 – 5 ft long. Our goal is to document their distribution and help measure changes or trends in populations. On either side of this bold row there is a row of smaller dark blotches. The western fox snake is one of special concern to Michigan authorities as it faces habitat destruction of the woodlands and prairie lands it calls home. Young Western Fox Snakes look similar to adults, but lack the reddish-orange head coloring. The head of adults is often reddish-orange or copper colored which leads people to mistake them for Copperheads. One of the defense mechanisms of the fox snake is to vibrate its tail as a warning to potential predators. The blotches on the eastern fox snake are 4, 5, or 6 scales in length, while the western fox snake's blotches are 3 to 4 scales in length (Schmidt 1941, Harding 1997). Description: 36 - 50 inches.
Species: vulpinus. The belly scales are yellow with black marks but the head of adults remain bronze and unpatterned. Males are typically larger than females. This beneficial snake is not venomous. Western fox snakes (Pantherophis vulpinus) are found in farmlands, prairies, stream valleys, woods, and dune habitats from the central upper peninsula of Michigan, through Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa, and into northwestern Indiana, Missouri, Nebraska, and South Dakota.
Click the snake pictures below to be taken to the corresponding list of reptiles available for purchase. Class: Reptilia. Western Fox Snakes are light colored with dark brown to almost black blotches. The belly is light colored with a dark checkered pattern. Many people get the fox snake confused with the venomous copperhead snake due to the reddish coloring of the head.
Western Fox Snakes are predatory constrictors that feed on rodents, birds, rabbits, voles, frogs, and other snakes and small animals. They are very well adapted to a life in forested regions of the state & tend …
It is too bad, too. Western Fox Snakes are light colored with dark brown to almost black blotches. The underside is yellowish checkered with dark squarish spots. The Eastern Fox Snake is large (adult length 3 - 5.5 feet/0.9-1.7 m), boldly patterned snake with large dark brown or black blotches down the middle of the back and smaller, alternating blotches along the sides of a yellowish to light brown body.
Description: 36 - 50 inches. The vibrating tail may cause a sound to be made if it is striking dead vegetation. Western Fox snakes are shy snakes reaching lengths of 3-5 feet. No subspecies are currently recognized. They also consume eggs and nestling birds.
Fox snakes, both western and eastern, are often killed by people who mistakenly believe them to be venomous. Egg Gestation: Females can lay 6 – 29 eggs that hatch about 2 months later. I’m not aware of any morphs. The belly underside is yellow and checkered with black. Western fox snakes are not always easy to find, but they are becoming more common as captive breeding increases, and can sometimes be found in specialty reptile stores, online, and also at reptile shows. This snake is a helpful species that likes to feed on mice and other rodents that can be a nuisance to humans.