| Scientific Name | Specimen Records |
"This guy did it all. Huffed and puffed, regurgitated a frog, expelled urine and feces
and feighned death." Click photo to enlarge. Photo by Greg Orcutt. |
|||
| Heterodon platirhinos Latreille | ATBI Database | ||||
| Common Name | |||||
| Eastern Hog-nosed Snake | |||||
| Kingdom | Phylum | Class | Order | Family | |
| Animalia | Chordata | Reptilia | Squamata | Colubridae | |
| Animals | Chordates | Reptiles | Snakes/Lizards | Colubrids | |
The Eastern Hognose snake can be identified by its upturned snout in addition to keeled scales. It also displays extraordinary behavior that ranges from loud hissing, inflated bodies, necks, and heads, followed by “playing dead” when encountered by predators. They are considered to be rear-fanged (opisthoglyphous) venomous, but their venom is not considered dangerous to humans.
SPECIES DESCRIPTION
Adult total length: Recorded length up to 115.6cm. Most snakes encountered are 51-84 cm in length.
Defining Characters: Upturned snout, keeled above. Uniquely prominent behavior – when encountered, hognose snakes flatten their necks and raise their heads off ground, not unlike a cobra. If this threat display does not deter predators, they roll onto their back and “play dead”. This includes emitting foul smelling musk from their cloaca and letting their tongue hang out of their mouth. If they were rolled, they will then relax and unroll as if they have actually died.
Pattern/Coloration: Variable – predominate colors are yellow, brown, gray, olive, orange or red. Normally spotted, but jet black or plain gray are common in some areas. Belly mottled, gray or green (rarely solid black) on yellow, light gray, or pink. Underside of tail lighter than belly.
In Park: According to park records and encounters, hognose snakes are more likely encountered in the western portions of the Park.
Similar species: Western Hognose Snake (Heterodon nasicus) and Southern Hognose Snake (Heterodon simus). Can be differentiated by location as well as patterning. Heterodon nasicus has much black pigment on venter. Heterodon simus has tail that is same color as rest of venter.
Photographs
| Adult | "Playing dead" | Notice the rear "fangs" for puncturing inflated toads. |
 |
 |
 |
| Click photo to enlarge. Photo by Billy and Sandy Hartness. |
Click photo to enlarge. Photo by Mike Dunn. |
Click photo to enlarge. Photo by J. Shimel. |
DISTRIBUTION
Regional |
|
 |
Extreme south of New Hampshire to south Florida; west to Minnesota, southeast
South Dakota, Kansas, and Texas; isolated colony in extreme northwest
Pennsylvania.
Map courtesy of Joe Collins, The Center for North American Herpetology. Click map to enlarge. |
In Park |
|
 Click maps to enlarge. |
Found at low to moderate elevations in the Park, these snakes are found in dry, pine forest habitats as well as mixed pine-hardwood forests in the Park. |
NATURAL HISTORY
Habitat
Sandy areas in which they can burrow are a favorite. But they also inhabit heavily wooded areas, prairies, and grasslands. They are found on bluff prairies on occasion. They are generally found in more damp areas as they feed heavily upon amphibians. They are diurnal and actively hunt for food. They can be seen basking in early morning and again at dusk. They are one of the few snakes that dig their own burrows, although they do not live in them for prolonged periods of time.
Reproduction
Hognose snakes breed in the spring. They lay 10-30 eggs (oviparous) in a sandy area. The eggs hatch in about two months and are much brighter in color than adults.
Longevity
N/A
Terrestrial Ecology
This snake specializes in feeding on toads (Anura). Their upturned snout aids in digging in sandy soil to find toads that are in the ground. They have an immunity to the toxins that toads secrete. They also have rear fangs are ideal for holding and deflating struggling, inflated toads. They also consume other amhibians (Amphibia), reptiles (Reptilia), and insects (Insecta) are common and occasionally mammals (Mammalia), birds (Aves), fish (Actinopterygii), worms (Annelida), isopods (Isopoda), centipedes (Chilopoda), spiders (Araneae), and snails (Gastropoda). In Winter, they hibernate by burrowing into the soil or making a den out of a discarded mammal burrow.
ASSOCIATED SPECIES
Predators
Predators of hognose snakes include: hawks (Accipitridae), owls (Strigiformes), Red fox (Vulpes vulpes), Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana), and other snake predators such as kingsnakes, racers, coachwhips, black rat snakes, and cottonmouths (Squamata). They have a unique behavior to deter predation (as described above).Parasites
Unknown
Competitors
N/A
CONSERVATION BIOLOGY
Special Protection Status
Rangewide: None. Considered "demonstrably widespread, abundant, and secure" (G5, S5) by The Nature Conservancy.In Park: All plants and animals are protected within Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Collection requires a permit which is usually granted only for research or educational purposes.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Field Assistants
Jon Davenport, Joshua Ennen, Jessica Daniel, James Ramsey, James Webb.Maps
Regional: Map courtesy of Joe Collins, The Center for North American Herpetology.
In Park: Discover Life in America - All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory. 2007. The ATBI Database. http://tremont22.campus.utk.edu/ATBI_start.cfm, Discover Life in America, Gatlinburg, Tennessee 37738.
Text
Dr. Ben Cash, Maryville College (ben.cash@maryvillecollege.edu); Heather Hedden, Maryville College.Photographs
North Carolina Division of Parks & Recreation photos by Greg Orcutt, Billy and Sandy Hartness, Mike Dunn, and J. Shimel.Supporting Institutions
Web Page
Charles Wilder.REFERENCES
Conant, R. and J. T. Collins. 1998. Reptiles and Amphibians: Eastern and Central North America. Peterson Field Guides (series), 3rd ed. expanded, Houghton Mifflin Co., New York, New York, 616 pp.
Huheey, J.E., and A. Stupka. 1967. Amphibians and Reptiles of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville, Tennessee, 98 pp.
LeClere, J. 2006. Iowa Herpetology: Eastern Hognose Snake, Heterodon playrhinos. Iowa. http://www.herpnet.net/Iowa-Herpetology/reptiles/snakes/e.hognose_snake.html. (Accessed: April 28, 2006).
Mehrtens, J. M. 1987. Living Snakes of the World. Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. New York, New York, 480pp.
NatureServe. 2003. NatureServe Explorer: An online encyclopedia of life [web application]. Version 1.8. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. Available http://www.natureserve.org/explorer. (Accessed:July 12, 2003).
Palmer, W. M. and A. L. Braswell. 1995. Reptiles of North Carolina. University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 412 pp.
Tilley, S. G. and J. E. Huheey. 2001. Reptiles and Amphibians of the Smokies. Great Smoky Mountains Natural History Association, Gatlinburg, Tennessee, 143pp.
