Reptiles at Risk

Species Profile: Eastern Fox Snake

Posted by Jeff Hathaway on August 7, 2009 at 2:58 PM

Over the past few programs, we have talked to many people who have seen Eastern Fox Snakes on their properties. We are incredibly envious of these people! Fox Snakes are amazing animals, and these people are very lucky to see them on a regular basis.
The Eastern Fox Snake is one of Ontario's largest species of snake, growing up to 2 metres in legnth. Their range in Ontario includes the shores of Georgian Bay, and some spots on the northern shore of Lake Erie. These areas make up over 70% of the world's range for Eastern Fox Snakes! Being Ontario's newest endangered reptile, they need our help.
One of the main problems is that they are not well known! A large proportion of people who live in Fox Snake territory do not realize that these animals are endangered. Among other problems for these snakes, habitat loss and human persecution are big factors in their decline; land owners have a huge role in their conservation.
Fox Snakes will twitch and shake their tail in anything that will make noise if they are threatened. This leads a lot of people to believe that they are rattlesnakes; we notice that people around the Georgian Bay area will often call these snakes "Hardwood Rattlers". Fox snakes are completely harmless, nonvenomous snakes; this name gives them an undeserved bad reputation.
Down here in the Windsor area, they are more often called "Copperheads" by the locals. This is understandable, since they do have orange, "coppery" heads. However, Copperheads are a type of venomous snake in the United States and cannot be found anywhere in Canada. The difference in the appearance of these snakes is vast, but unfortunately most people have just heard the name "Copperhead" and associate it with the snakes they see in their back yard.
This confusion surrounding the Fox Snake is a big reason for their decline, as when people associate a snake with danger, they are more likely to kill the snake. There is absolutely no reason to kill these harmless snakes, but it is equally important to conserve their habitat. Fox Snakes need trees to survive; they have specially designed bodies that allow them to climb trees with ease and find food, escape from predators, and regulate body temperature. In order to conserve these amazing animals, we need to be educating people who live in these areas about them. This is how the project works, and this is why I love my job.
-Eric.