Eastern fox snakes historically occurred along the shores of the Lakes Huron and Erie, from the Georgian and Saginaw Bays to north central Ohio and eastward along the northern shore of Lake Erie to Long Point and perhaps Buffalo (Schmidt 1941). Today the eastern fox snakes can be found from Saginaw Bay along the shore of Lake Huron south to the western edge of Lake Erie (Holman et al. 1989) in Michigan, Ohio, and Ontario.
Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native )
Western fox snakes are usually between 91 and 137 cm long. The published record is 179 cm. They are blotched snake, with light brown to black spots. The head varies from brown to reddish. The reddish head is often mistaken as a copperhead and often spells the end of that snake. The belly is yellow and checkered with black. The scales are weakly keeled. The young look distinctively different. The dark spots are rich brown usually edged with black or dark brown. The head has a dark transverse line anterior to eyes and a dark line from eye to angle of jaw. The lines on the head fade away with age. Western fox snakes have an average of 41 blotches.
Range length: 91 to 179 cm.
Other Physical Features: heterothermic
Sexual Dimorphism: sexes alike
Average lifespan
Status: captivity: 17 years.
Western fox snakes are found in grasslands, prairies, dune areas, farm fields, pastures, and woodlots. They are typically found fairly close to water. Like all snakes, they can be found basking near the edge of marshes or in grassland clearings.
Habitat Regions: temperate ; terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes: savanna or grassland ; forest
Wetlands: marsh
Other Habitat Features: agricultural
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.
Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native )
Western fox snakes eat small mammals and occasional birds. They eat meadow voles, deer mice, eggs, fledgling birds, and newborn rabbits. Western fox snakes kill their prey by constriction.
Animal Foods: birds; mammals
Primary Diet: carnivore (Eats terrestrial vertebrates)
Western fox snakes help keep pest populations down. They often inhabit agricultural lands and prey on rabbits and rodents.
Positive Impacts: controls pest population
Western fox snakes are harmless snakes, there are no negative effects of this species on humans.
Western fox snakes are often mistaken for rattlesnakes. As a result they are often indiscriminately killed. In fact, they are harmless and beneficial. Western fox snake populations also suffer from habitat destruction, illegal collecting, and being hit by cars. Currently populations of western fox snakes are considered stable.
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
State of Michigan List: no special status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern
The two morphologically similar species of fox snake-- eastern (Pantherophis gloydi) and western (Pantherophis vulpinus), were, until recently, considered subspecies under the latter name. Fox snakes range from 91 to 137 cm in length when mature (the published record length is 179 cm, some slightly longer animals are known). The dorsal surface varies in color from a yellowish color to light brown, with dark blotches ranging in color from chocolate to black. The head will also vary in color from brown to a distinctly reddish color. Eastern fox snakes have a yellow colored belly that is checkered with black (Conant and Collins 1998). The scales are weakly keeled and they have a divided anal plate. Young snakes are paler in color, spots are rich brown and edged with a black or dark brown band, and they have a dark transverse line anterior to their eyes and a line from their eye to the angle of the jaw (Conant and Collins 1998).
Eastern fox snakes can be differentiated from western fox snakes by the number of blotches present on the dorsal surface. Eastern fox snakes have fewer blotches (average 34) than do western fox snakes (average 41). 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). Their ranges do not presently overlap; western fox snakes occur in prairies, farmlands, and open woodlands of the western Great Lakes and eastern plains states.
Range length: 91 to 179 mm.
Other Physical Features: heterothermic
Sexual Dimorphism: sexes alike
Eastern fox snakes are typically found in flat, marshy or partially drained areas. Eastern fox snakes on islands in Lake Erie are found in open, rocky habitats and woodlands. Unlike western fox snakes (E. vulpina), eastern fox snakes are rarely found in upland wooded areas. Eastern fox snakes are ground dwelling animals that are rarely found climbing trees or understory brush.
Habitat Regions: temperate ; terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes: savanna or grassland
Aquatic Biomes: lakes and ponds
Wetlands: marsh ; swamp
Eastern fox snakes feed on small mammals, frogs, birds, and occasionally bird eggs. Eastern fox snakes are constrictors, which means they kill by wrapping their bodies around the chest of their prey and squeezing until the prey eventially dies.
Animal Foods: birds; mammals; amphibians; eggs
Primary Diet: carnivore (Eats terrestrial vertebrates)
Eastern fox snakes are major predators of small rodents, which can be agricultural pests. If fox snake numbers can be kept stable they will help control small rodent numbers resulting in less crop damage in many agricultural fields.
Positive Impacts: controls pest population
Eastern fox snakes are harmless snakes, there are no negative effects of these snakes on humans.
Eastern fox snakes are currently listed as a threatened species in the state of Michigan. The loss and pollution of wetland habitats, indiscriminate killing by people who think fox snakes are venomous, illegal collecting, and road kills are all factors in the decline of fox snakes. Any sightings of this snake should be reported to local wildlife authorities.
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
State of Michigan List: threatened
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: near threatened
Fox snakes, both western and eastern, are often killed by people who mistakenly believe them to be venomous. Many people get the fox snake confused with the venomous copperhead snake due to the reddish coloring of the head. One of the defense mechanisms of the fox snake is to vibrate its tail as a warning to potential predators. This creates a sound similar to that of a rattlesnake by the rustling of the leaves beneath the snake.
When a fox snake is threatened it will secrete a strong substance which some say smells like the musty secretions of foxes, hence the name "fox snake". In many areas eastern fox snakes are referred to as "spotted adders," a local name also sometimes applied to eastern milk snakes (Lampropeltis triangulum) in the same region.
Eastern fox snakes lay anywhere from 7 to 29 eggs in June or July, which hatch in late summer. The young are similar to the adults and measure roughly 27 cm in length.
Breeding interval: Eastern fox snakes breed once each year.
Breeding season: Breeding occurs in June and July.
Range number of offspring: 7 to 29.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; sexual ; oviparous
Western fox snakes mate from April to July. The female lays her eggs anywhere from late June to early August. She usually lays from 6 to 29 firm leathery eggs that are from 3.8 to 5 cm long. The young hatch from late August to October and are 25.5 to 33 cm long.
Breeding interval: Western fox snakes breed once each year.
Breeding season: Western fox snakes mate from April to July.
Range number of offspring: 6 to 29.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; sexual ; oviparous
Die Östliche Fuchsnatter (Pantherophis vulpinus) ist eine Schlangenart aus der Familie der Nattern (Colubridae). Sie ist in Zentral-Nordamerika, an der Grenze zwischen den Vereinigten Staaten und Kanada und um den Mississippi beheimatet.[1] Da die Schlange bei Gefahr einen fuchsähnlichen Geruch absondert, wird sie Fuchsnatter genannt.[2]
Die Östliche Fuchsnatter erreicht eine durchschnittliche Länge von 120 bis 180 Zentimetern. Dorsal ziehen sich charakteristische braune bis schwarzbraune Flecken auf einer gräulich bis hellbraunen Grundfärbung über den gesamten Körper. Lateral wird die Haut der Fuchsnatter von kleineren Flecken geziert. Diese dunklen Bereiche verblassen in Richtung der gelblich gefärbten Bauchseite langsam, welche nur mehr eine leichte dunkle Fleckung aufweist. Jungtiere haben ein ähnliches Muster, aber eine hellere, meist graue Grundfarbe. Die Schuppen sind leicht gekielt und die Anal-Schuppe ist gespalten. Der schlank gebaute Kopf setzt sich nur wenig vom Hals ab und seine Färbung variiert zwischen bräunlichen und rotbraunen Tönen. Er besitzt keine besonderen Merkmale, bis auf die dunkle Linie, die sich vom Auge bis zum Kieferwinkel zieht. Besonders markant ist diese bei jungen Fuchsnattern. Die relativ großen Augen weisen rundliche Pupillen auf. Männliche Fuchsnattern lassen sich von den Weibchen ihrer Art durch proportional einen längeren Schwanz unterscheiden, welcher an der Basis verbreitert sind.[3][4]
Bis vor einigen Jahren ging man davon aus, dass die Verbreitung der Östlichen Fuchsnatter auf ein kleines Gebiet im Süden Ontarios, mit etwa 70 % der gesamten Individuenzahl und den restlichen im Südosten Michigans und dem äußersten Nordwesten Ohios beschränkt ist. Seit einer Untersuchung und ausführlichen Genanalysen wurde festgestellt, dass die Schlangenart auch weiter westlich in Wisconsin und Illinois beheimatet ist und zuvor fälschlicherweise zu den Westlichen Fuchsnattern gezählt wurde. In der Region um den Mississippi überschneiden sich die Verbreitungsgebiete der beiden Arten.[1]
Für das Überleben benötigt die Östliche Fuchsnatter eine passende Umgebung zur Futtersuche, Eiablage, Wärmeregulation und für die Überwinterung. Essentiell sind ebenfalls Biotopverbundstrukturen, um sich frei zwischen den Gebieten, die diese Voraussetzungen erfüllen, zu bewegen. Typischerweise wird der Lebensraum der östlichen Fuchsnatter mit alten Feldern, Savannen, Küsten, Sumpfgebiete und Stranddünen assoziiert. Sie tolerieren jedoch durchaus auch Wälder und vom Menschen geschaffene Umgebungen, wie Kanäle, alte Gebäude, Farmen und Mülldeponien. In den letzten Jahren hat sich die Anzahl der natürlichen Plätze, die die Schlangen für die Überwinterung brauchen, stark reduziert. Dadurch sind die Tiere gezwungen, in besiedelte Gebiete vorzudringen und Verstecke in und um menschliche Behausungen zu suchen. Sie sind gute Schwimmer und können – etwa auf dem Weg zu den Inseln vor der Küste – Distanzen von bis zu zehn Kilometern im offenen Wasser zurücklegen.[5][3]
In ihren ersten Lebenstagen ernähren sich Fuchsnattern vom Dottersack. Danach gehen sie aktiv auf Beutejagd, wobei sie sich am Geruch der Beute orientieren. Da die Östliche Fuchsnatter nicht giftig ist, tötet sie ihre Beute durch Erdrosseln. Die Nahrung wird mit dem Kopf voran im Ganzen verschlungen. Auf dem Speiseplan stehen Kleinsäuger wie Mäuse, Ratten, Nagetiere, Vögel sowie deren Eier, dazu werden noch Amphibien und kleinere Echsen gefressen. Da Nattern wechselwarme Tiere sind, ist ihr Stoffwechsel wesentlich langsamer als bei Warmblütern. Die Beute wird innerhalb weniger Tage komplett verdaut; aber bis die restlichen Stoffe in Energie umgewandelt werden, kann es Wochen dauern.[4][2]
Die Geschlechtsreife erreichen Östliche Fuchsnattern nach 18 bis 24 Monaten. Die Paarungszeit beginnt nach der Winterruhe im April. Die Weibchen legen nach ca. 40 bis 60 Tagen lederartige Eier in Mulden mit feuchtem Boden, in Baumstümpfen, hohlen Baumstämmen oder im Kompost ab. Neben den natürlichen Eiablageplätzen nutzen die Fuchsnattern auch von Menschen geschaffene Brutplätze, wie Hackschnitzel oder Komposthaufen. Die Weibchen legen pro Gelege ca. 7 bis 29 Eier und verschließen die Mulde nach der Eiablage sorgsam. Es kann auch eine zweite Eiablage vorkommen, wenn die Temperatur und Umweltbedingungen passen. Die Jungen schlüpfen je nach Bruttemperatur(im Durchschnitt bei 27 °C) nach 60 bis 80 Tagen. Beim Schlüpfen sind die jungen Fuchsnattern 25 bis 30 Zentimeter lang. Das Schlüpfen kann bis zu drei Tage dauern;, während dieser Zeit dient das aufgebrochene Ei als Schutz und Feuchtigkeitsspender. Der Dottersack dient in den ersten Tagen als Nahrung. Der Nabel ist beim Verlassen der Eischale bereits komplett geschlossen. In Gefangenschaft kann die Östliche Fuchsnatter über zwanzig Jahre alt werden. Die Lebenserwartung von freilebenden Nattern liegt deutlich darunter.[6][7][8]
Die Östliche Fuchsnatter wurde 1991 durch Joseph T. Collins als eigenständige Art (Elaphe gloydi), abgrenzend zur Westlichen Fuchsnatter (damals Elaphe vulpina), beschrieben. Er berief sich dabei auf die 1940 festgestellten geographischen und morphologischen Unterschiede zwischen der Östlichen Fuchsnatter und der Westlichen Fuchsnatter. Der Artenstatus wurde jedoch von vielen Autoren nicht akzeptiert, bis genetische Analysen dies 2000 bestätigten. Durch die Aufspaltung der bis dahin geltenden Gattung Elaphe (Kletternattern) wurde die 1843 beschriebene Gattung Pantherophis wiedereingeführt.[9] 2011 führte eine genetische Analyse zu dem Ergebnis, dass die ursprünglich angenommene Grenze zwischen der Östlichen und der Westlichen Fuchsnatter nicht die tatsächliche Verbreitungsgrenze darstellt. Die Art Pantherophis vulpinus wurde anhand von Exemplaren beschrieben, die nach dieser neuen Erkenntnis der Östlichen Fuchsnatter zugehören.[1] Somit hatte dieser ältere Name Vorrang und die Östliche Fuchsnatter (früher Elaphe gloydi) wurde in Pantherophis vulpinus umbenannt. Die Westliche Fuchsnatter erhielt den Namen Pantherophis ramspotti.[9]
Die Östliche Fuchsnatter ist in Michigan und Ontario als bedrohte Spezies gelistet. Die Zahlen sind wegen der Entwicklung von Feuchtgebieten und Küstenhabitaten gesunken. In den letzten Jahren nahm die Zahl der geeigneten Überwinterungsplätze stark ab, wodurch viele Tiere die kalte Jahreszeit nicht überlebten. Auch durch den Tierhandel und ihre Beliebtheit als Terrarientier ist die Anzahl der Exemplare gesunken. Außerdem werden sie aufgrund ihrer ähnlichen Erscheinung oft mit dem Nordamerikanischen Kupferkopf oder, aufgrund ihrer Nachahmung von Rasselgeräuschen, mit der Massassauga verwechselt und getötet.[5]
Die Östliche Fuchsnatter (Pantherophis vulpinus) ist eine Schlangenart aus der Familie der Nattern (Colubridae). Sie ist in Zentral-Nordamerika, an der Grenze zwischen den Vereinigten Staaten und Kanada und um den Mississippi beheimatet. Da die Schlange bei Gefahr einen fuchsähnlichen Geruch absondert, wird sie Fuchsnatter genannt.
Pantherophis vulpinus, commonly known as the eastern foxsnake or eastern fox snake, is a species of rat snake in the family Colubridae. The species is nonvenomous and is endemic to the eastern Great Lakes region of the United States, as well as adjacent western Ontario in Canada. Pantherophis gloydi is sometimes considered a distinct species and sometimes considered a junior synonym of the species Pantherophis vulpinus.[3]
The specific name, gloydi, is in honor of American herpetologist Howard K. Gloyd.[4][5]
Between about 1990 and 2011, foxsnakes were sometimes divided into two species, with P. gloydi as the eastern foxsnake and P. vulpinus as the western foxsnake. A 2011 paper by Crother, White, Savage, Eckstut, Graham and Gardner proposed instead that the Mississippi River be established as the species boundary between two species of foxsnakes, and that those found to its east be considered P. vulpinus (including those previously known as P. gloydi) and those found to its west be given the new name P. ramspotti.[3]
P. vulpinus is found in marshes and other wetlands, as well as in adjacent fields and meadows.
P. v. gloydi is found in the eastern Great Lakes region. Both P. v. gloydi and P. v. vulpinus live in the state of Michigan. P. v. vulpinus lives in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where it is sometimes known as the pine snake, and P. v. gloydi lives in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. P. v. gloydi can also be found in Ohio in the United States, and in Western Ontario in Canada.
P. vulpinus is considered threatened over most of its range due to habitat loss. Numbers have plummeted because of the development of wetlands and coastal habitat. Its numbers have also fallen due to collection for the pet trade. P. vulpinus is often misidentified as the copperhead, Agkistrodon contortrix or as the massasauga, Sistrurus catenatus. P. vulpinus often rattles its tail similar to rattlesnakes as a form of mimicry. This behavior also contributes to its decline in numbers, as many people fear that the snake may be venomous. In Ohio, P. gloydi is listed as a "Species of Concern" by the Ohio Division of Wildlife.[6] In Michigan it is listed as a "Threatened Species" by the DNR and is protected by state law.[7] In Ontario the species is listed as "Threatened Provincially and Nationally".[8]
A powerful constrictor, P. vulpinus will consume a variety of small mammals and birds. It has been hypothesized that it will also consume amphibians, but this has not been well documented. P. vulpinus will occasionally wiggle its tail, rustling leaves, to ward off potential predators. This is a form of mimicry. The sound resembles that of a rattlesnake. When threatened, it also may coil and, if it continues to feel threatened, strike.
Like all reptiles, P. vulpinus reproduces sexually and is an r-strategists according to r/K selection theory. An adult female may lay between 7 and 29 eggs, which generally hatch after about 60 days. Eggs are usually laid under logs, or in rotting wood or humus.
Education may be the best form of conservation for P. vulpinus. Being able to differentiate between this species and venomous ones, such as the copperhead or the massasauga, may greatly reduce misidentification cases and subsequent deaths of the snake.
Pantherophis vulpinus, commonly known as the eastern foxsnake or eastern fox snake, is a species of rat snake in the family Colubridae. The species is nonvenomous and is endemic to the eastern Great Lakes region of the United States, as well as adjacent western Ontario in Canada. Pantherophis gloydi is sometimes considered a distinct species and sometimes considered a junior synonym of the species Pantherophis vulpinus.
Pantherophis vulpinus Pantherophis generoko animalia da. Narrastien barruko Colubridae familian sailkatuta dago.
Pantherophis vulpinus Pantherophis generoko animalia da. Narrastien barruko Colubridae familian sailkatuta dago.
Pantherophis vulpinus là một loài rắn trong họ Rắn nước. Loài này được Baird & Girard mô tả khoa học đầu tiên năm 1853.[1]
Bài viết liên quan phân họ rắn Colubrinae này vẫn còn sơ khai. Bạn có thể giúp Wikipedia bằng cách mở rộng nội dung để bài được hoàn chỉnh hơn. Pantherophis vulpinus là một loài rắn trong họ Rắn nước. Loài này được Baird & Girard mô tả khoa học đầu tiên năm 1853.
여우뱀(영어: foxsnake)은 북미 원산의 신대륙구렁이(rat snake)의 일종이다. 뱀과 옥수수뱀속에 속하며, 무독성이다.
"여우뱀"이라는 이름과 학명(라틴어 vulpinus는 "여우의"라는 뜻)은 완모식표본 수집가 찰스 폭스 신부(1815년생-1854년몰)를 기리는 언어유희로서 명명되었다.[1] 또한 자기방어용으로 여우의 채취 같은 고약한 냄새를 낸다.[2]
꼬리 포함 전체 신장 0.91 m-1.83 m까지 자란다. 배면은 황금빛 갈색에 암갈색 반점이 있고, 복면은 노란색 체커무늬가 있다.
여우뱀은 미시시피강 상류 동안에서 발견된다.[3] 동부여우뱀과 미시간에서 서식지가 겹치지만, 서부여우뱀은 미시시피강으로 분리되어 있어 서식지가 겹치지 않는다.
여우뱀(영어: foxsnake)은 북미 원산의 신대륙구렁이(rat snake)의 일종이다. 뱀과 옥수수뱀속에 속하며, 무독성이다.
"여우뱀"이라는 이름과 학명(라틴어 vulpinus는 "여우의"라는 뜻)은 완모식표본 수집가 찰스 폭스 신부(1815년생-1854년몰)를 기리는 언어유희로서 명명되었다. 또한 자기방어용으로 여우의 채취 같은 고약한 냄새를 낸다.
꼬리 포함 전체 신장 0.91 m-1.83 m까지 자란다. 배면은 황금빛 갈색에 암갈색 반점이 있고, 복면은 노란색 체커무늬가 있다.
여우뱀은 미시시피강 상류 동안에서 발견된다. 동부여우뱀과 미시간에서 서식지가 겹치지만, 서부여우뱀은 미시시피강으로 분리되어 있어 서식지가 겹치지 않는다.
