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.

[9] Adult eastern foxsnakes are 3 to 6 feet (0.91 to 1.83 m) in total length (including tail) and have a short, flattened snout.

Foxsnakes earned their name because the musk they give off when threatened smells similar to a fox.

[10] P. vulpinus is found in the upper midwestern United States east of the Mississippi River.

[11] The geographic range of the closely related western fox snake (Pantherophis ramspotti) is west of the Mississippi River.

The preferred natural habitats of P. vulpinus are varied, including open woodland, prairie, farmland, pastures, and marshlands.

In June, July or August, the female will bury a clutch of seven to 27 eggs under a log or in debris on the forest floor.

[citation needed] Like all reptiles, P. vulpinus reproduces sexually and is an r-strategists according to r/K selection theory.

They are often a welcome sight around farmlands, where they consume a large number of rodents that can otherwise be harmful to crops, or transmit parasites to captive animal stocks, though they are opportunistic feeders and will sometimes also eat fledgling chickens or eggs, which sometimes leads them to be erroneously called the chicken snake.

[citation needed] While this snake is common within its range, many states have protected it, primarily to prevent over-collection for the pet trade.

[citation needed] P. vulpinus is considered threatened over most of its range due to habitat loss.