About Pantherophis ramspotti Crother, White, Savage, Eckstut, Graham & Gardner, 2011
Pantherophis ramspotti, commonly known as the western fox snake, is a nonvenomous species of rat snake belonging to the family Colubridae. This species is native to the upper Midwestern United States, located west of the Mississippi River. Its close relative, Pantherophis vulpinus, has a range east of the Mississippi River. The two species overlap along the eastern side of the Mississippi River, but do not share an intergrade zone. P. ramspotti occurs in a wide variety of both natural and disturbed habitats. Its preferred natural habitats are forest, shrubland, grassland, and freshwater wetlands. The disturbed habitats it occupies include pastures, old fields, and other types of farmland. P. ramspotti is oviparous, and it lays its eggs in humus inside old stumps and under logs.
