MOST WANTED: The Eastern Foxsnake

What's hiding behind that snarl of last year's growth? The Eastern Foxsnake: A Species of Concern in Ohio

I'm heading out to Erie County for what I hope to be a busy (dry) day in the field today. We have a couple guests touring the property in the morning, and among other things, we hope to show a survey crew around to establish some parcel lines and establish some elevations at key locations on the site.

But before I hit the road, I wanted to share this find. I finally got the photos organized last eve . . .

On a recent afternoon where the sun actually broke the clouds, we found ourselves in the midst of one of our MOST WANTED. Roy was monitoring for recent muskrat activity, when he stumbled onto the sight pictured above. You have to look closely, but it was definitely a highlight of the day.

Roy was fully confident that our marsh should be home to a decent number of Eastern foxsnakes, a species that played an important role in his Masters work when he lived and conducted research on the property in the late 1970s. As one of Ohio's largest snakes (growing to 5'+) and boasting of one of the more impressive contrasts in coloration you'll see in a Midwest snake, this reptile would seem hard to miss. But this species is only known to inhabit a handful of northwest counties in Ohio, and is therefore one of eleven "state-listed" reptiles recognized as a Species of Concern.

Along with its immediate physical attributes (size and color contrast), its bronze head and propensity to shake its tail when threatened make it often mistaken as a rattler or other poisonous snake. In truth, this surprisingly docile creature is tightly tied to lakeside marsh environments and, as Roy found out through his studies, would rather eat mallard duck eggs than latch onto your calf or hand.

Based on his research, Roy found that foxsnakes were actually the #1 predator of mallard eggs on the property. A raccoon or possum would break all the eggs (leaving broken shells) and eat without restraint until the entire nest was decimated, but a foxsnake would stealthily take one egg per overnight visit, leaving no tell in the form of broken shells.

Julie showed her experience with reptiles by gently handling this individual long enough to photo-document, sex, and measure before releasing back into the protection of the sun-drenched vegetation. A female, she measured just over 50-inches long. She's apt to be mating now, and if all goes as planned, she will introduce as many as 30 young snakes to the marsh by late summer or early fall.

Next on our herpetologist most wanted list: the threatened Blanding's turtle,Lake Erie watersnake, and possibly the endangered Eastern Massasauga.


P.S. For a great photo field guide of the reptiles of Ohio, check out the Division of Wildlife's Publication 354. It is actually part of an entire series that is free and available to the public.

Tails & Scales

What I believe to be a Butler's gartersnake

Yet another sign of spring . . . At about 15" long and perfectly camouflaged to blend with the newly exposed ground in our "Tower Woods," this little relative of Ohio's most common snake (the Eastern gartersnake) was taking advantage of plenty of sunshine and temperatures in the low 80s, earlier this week.

Now that the dead canopy is totally removed (see April 10th post), we were literally on our hands and knees trying to identify the first starts of new, green growth when this bugger slithered into view. Roy had to point him out, and he was literally right under my nose! It's the first snake I've seen at (very) close range this spring, but there is no doubt that these legless reptiles have been waking up more and more over the last several weeks.

Watersnakes are becoming a common sight, particularly on sun-heated rocks along shorelines or in low-hanging limbs over or near water. It's not unusual this time of year to see literally dozens of the Common watersnake sharing a sun-bleached willow. They are often Medusa-like in their propensity to get intertwined. I need to do some homework, but I speculate that this behavior is tied not only to elevating body temperature, but also to breeding.

Midland painted turtle

Painted turtles are also getting to be a common sight on downed logs and on small, remnant wooden duck hunting paraphernalia from years gone by. Unfortunately, I'm also seeing fair numbers on roadways that surround the marsh. I actually plucked the young adult to the right from the center line of SR 269 while driving in our UTV. I'm always struck with their beauty -- particularly at close range -- and by the fact that because they are likely the most common turtle in the state, they are so often under-appreciated. While we certainly will be on the lookout for some of their less common relatives, a paint's colors and patterns really are striking.

Mystery serpent

Keeping on the topic of reptiles, I really liked the almost abstract still-life that Roy captured on a wave-weathered piece of driftwood. Can you identify him (or her) without seeing a head or a tail? I'll let this image serve as a teaser to another snake post I plan to include very soon. For now, I'll just say we have gotten a positive ID on a species we've been keeping a keen eye out for . . .