Eastern Foxsnake (Pine) (Pantherophis vulpinus)

Photo © A.B. Sheldon

Species range

The foxsnake has many large reddish-brown, chocolate brown or black mid-dorsal blotches along its back and other smaller blotches on its sides on a background color of yellow, tan or olive gray. The head of adults is usually a dark copper, rust or orange color. They live in a variety of open habitats including marshes, sedge meadows, prairies and old fields. Their diet consists primarily of rodents and ground-nesting birds. Young foxsnakes will occasionally eat amphibians. This species is the most frequently encountered snake in people’s homes, especially if the house has an old rock foundation where the snake(s) may be hunting for food or hibernating in the basement. The foxsnake is often mistaken for the venomous copperhead due to its head color, and subsequently is often killed. Copperheads do not live in or near Wisconsin. Foxsnakes are also often mistaken for rattlesnakes, as they often “rattle” their tails in dry leaves, grasses or against objects when disturbed. Their pointed tail distinguishes them (and all other Wisconsin snakes with pointed tails) as a non-venomous species in Wisconsin.

I want to thank Nancy Nabak from Woodland Dunes for helping me identify this snake. She also pointed out the above article from the DNR site. I want to tell you, when I first saw the snake, I only saw half of its body. The end of the tail was rattling and it made my heart jump. It was crawling into my garage behind some pallets I have sitting there. I used a fiberglass marker stick to get it out of the pallets and it headed for the other side of my garage. So I help direct it to the sidewalk and let it move on down to the fields next door. It was about 3 feet long or maybe even longer. I wasn’t going to pick it up with that tail shaking. Looking at it head, it almost looks like a baby Copperhead. Thank you Nancy for all your help. By the way readers, do not forget to check out the new nature center that Woodland Dunes is building. What a great place to educate your children in the outdoors.