Eastern Hognose Snake
(Heterodon platirhinos) |
 |
DESCRIPTION: The Eastern Hognose Snake gets
its name from its upturned snout and broad head. The broad head
often gives people the false impression that it is venomous.
Coloration is quite variable in this snake. Individuals may be
almost uniformly black, brown, olive, or gray, or they may have
a pattern of irregular, dark blotches running down the back,
alternating with dark spots on each side on a background mottled
with many colors including yellow, brown, gray, olive, orange,
or red. This snake usually measures from 20 to 30 inches in
length. The young are yellow to tan with light grayish-brown
blotches. Their bellies are a dark slate color
STATUS:
RANGE: Minnesota to extreme south. New
Hampshire south to south Florida, west to east Texas and west
Kansas.
HABITAT: Dry, sandy areas; fields,
upland hillsides with few trees, meadows
SPECIAL HABITAT:
FOOD: This species will burrow to capture
buried prey. Hognosed snakes are almost exclusively predators of
toads, although other prey are occasionally taken, including
frogs, newts, salamanders, and even small rodents. Toads inflate
themselves as a defensive measure, but hognose snakes have a
pair of enlarged teeth on the maxillary bones that are used to
deflate them, thus aiding in swallowing. The toxins found in the
skin glands of toads are neutralized by enzymes in the snake's
digestive tract. |
