Hognose snake is a
common name for several unrelated species of
snake
Snakes are elongated, limbless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales. Many species of snakes have skulls with several more j ...
with upturned snouts, classified in 2
colubrid
Colubridae (, commonly known as colubrids , from la, coluber, 'snake') is a family of snakes. With 249 genera, it is the largest snake family. The earliest species of the family date back to the Oligocene epoch. Colubrid snakes are found on ev ...
snake
Snakes are elongated, limbless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales. Many species of snakes have skulls with several more j ...
genera and 1
pseudoxyrhophiid snake genus.
They include the following
genera:
*''
Heterodon
''Heterodon'' is a genus of harmless colubrid snakes endemic to North America.Platt, Dwight R. 1983. Heterodon'. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, 351: 1-2. They are stout with up ...
'', which occur mainly in the United States and northern Mexico
*''
Leioheterodon'', the hognose snakes native to
Madagascar
Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...
*''
Lystrophis'', the
South American
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...
hognose snakes.
The North American ''
Heterodon
''Heterodon'' is a genus of harmless colubrid snakes endemic to North America.Platt, Dwight R. 1983. Heterodon'. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, 351: 1-2. They are stout with up ...
'' species are known for their habit of
thanatosis
Apparent death, colloquially known as playing dead, feigning death, or playing possum, is a behavior in which animals take on the appearance of being dead. It is an immobile state most often triggered by a predatory attack and can be found in a ...
: playing dead when threatened.
Species
Genus ''
Heterodon
''Heterodon'' is a genus of harmless colubrid snakes endemic to North America.Platt, Dwight R. 1983. Heterodon'. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, 351: 1-2. They are stout with up ...
'':
*Mexican hognose snake, ''
Heterodon kennerlyi'' (
Kennicott, 1860)
*Gloyd's hognose snake, ''
Heterodon nasicus gloydi
''Heterodon'' is a genus of harmless colubrid snakes endemic to North America.Platt, Dwight R. 1983. Heterodon'. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, 351: 1-2. They are stout with upt ...
'' (
Edgren, 1952)
*Western hognose snake, ''
Heterodon nasicus
The western hognose snake (''Heterodon nasicus'') is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to North America.
Etymology
The specific name, ''nasicus'', is from the Latin '' nasus'' ("nose"), in reference to the up ...
'' (
Baird &
Girard, 1852)
*Eastern hognose snake, ''
Heterodon platirhinos
The eastern hog-nosed snake (''Heterodon platirhinos''), also known as the spreading adder Wright, A.H., and A.A. Wright (1957). ''Handbook of Snakes of the United States and Canada''. (in 2 volumes). Ithaca and London: Comstock Publishing Assoc ...
'' (
Latreille, 1801)
*Southern hognose snake, ''
Heterodon simus'' (
Linnaeus
Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...
, 1766)
Genus ''
Leioheterodon'':
*Speckled hognose snake, ''
Leioheterodon geayi
''Leioheterodon geayi'', commonly known as the Madagascan speckled hognose snake, the speckled hognose snake or Geay's hognose snake, is a species of mildly venomous snake in the family Lamprophiidae. The species is native to southwestern Mada ...
'' (
Mocquard, 1905)
*Malagasy giant hognose snake, ''
Leioheterodon madagascariensis
''Leioheterodon madagascariensis'', the Malagasy Giant Hognose, is a harmless species of snake that can be found in Madagascar, Nosy Be
Nosy Be (formerly Nossi-bé and Nosse Be) is an island off the northwest coast of Madagascar. Nosy Be is ...
'' (
Duméril &
Bibron, 1854)
*Blonde hognose snake, ''
Leioheterodon modestus
''Leioheterodon modestus'', also known as the blonde hognose snake, is a species of harmless snake in the family Pseudoxyrhophiidae. It is endemic to Madagascar
Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( ...
'' (
Günther, 1863)
Genus ''
Lystrophis'':
*South American hognose snake, ''
Lystrophis dorbignyi
''Lystrophis'' is the genus of tricolored South American hognose snakes.
They mimic milk snakes or coral snakes with their red, black, and white ringed patterns.
Species
The genus ''Lystrophis'' contains five species that are recognized as b ...
'' (
Duméril,
Bibron &
Duméril, 1854)
*Jan's hognose snake, ''
Lystrophis histricus
''Lystrophis'' is the genus of tricolored South American hognose snakes.
They mimic milk snakes or coral snakes with their red, black, and white ringed patterns.
Species
The genus ''Lystrophis'' contains five species that are recognized as b ...
'' (
Jan
Jan, JaN or JAN may refer to:
Acronyms
* Jackson, Mississippi (Amtrak station), US, Amtrak station code JAN
* Jackson-Evers International Airport, Mississippi, US, IATA code
* Jabhat al-Nusra (JaN), a Syrian militant group
* Japanese Article Num ...
, 1863)
*''
Lystrophis matogrossensis'' (
Scrocchi &
Cruz
Cruz is a surname of Iberian Peninsula, Iberian origin, first found in Castile (historical region), Castile, Spain, but later spread throughout the territories of the former Spanish Empire, Spanish and Portuguese Empires. In Spanish and Portugu ...
, 1993)
*''
Lystrophis nattereri''
( Steindachner, 1867)
*Tricolor hognose snake, ''
Lystrophis pulcher
''Lystrophis'' is the genus of tricolored South American hognose snakes.
They mimic Milk Snakes, milk snakes or coral snakes with their red, black, and white ringed patterns.
Species
The genus ''Lystrophis'' contains five species that are rec ...
'' (
Jan
Jan, JaN or JAN may refer to:
Acronyms
* Jackson, Mississippi (Amtrak station), US, Amtrak station code JAN
* Jackson-Evers International Airport, Mississippi, US, IATA code
* Jabhat al-Nusra (JaN), a Syrian militant group
* Japanese Article Num ...
, 1863)
*Ringed hognose snake, ''
Lystrophis semicinctus'' (
Duméril,
Bibron &
Duméril, 1854)
Description
The hognose snakes' most distinguishing characteristic is their upturned snout/Rostral scale, which aids in digging in sandy soils by using a sweeping, side to side motion. They also like to burrow in masses of
humus. ''Lieoheterodon'' species are known to dig up the eggs of lizards.
Hognose snakes are extremely variable in color and pattern. ''Heterodon nasicus'' and ''H. kennerlyi'' tend to be sandy colored with black and white markings, while ''H. platirhinos'' varies from
red
Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...
s,
green
Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a combi ...
s,
orange
Orange most often refers to:
*Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis''
** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower
*Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum
* ...
s,
brown
Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing or painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors orange and black. In the RGB color model us ...
s, to
melanistic (i.e.
black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...
) depending on locality. They are sometimes blotched and sometimes solid-colored. ''Leiohetereodon geayi'' is a brown or
tan
Tan or TAN may refer to:
Businesses and organisations
* Black and Tans, a nickname for British special constables during the Irish War of Independence. By extension "Tans" can now also colloquially refer to English or British people in general, es ...
colored snake with dark speckling on it.
There are also many different morphs when bred in captivity.
Behavior
When threatened, hognose snakes will hiss, flatten their necks and raise their heads off the ground like
cobras. They sometimes feign strikes, but actual ''
Heterodon
''Heterodon'' is a genus of harmless colubrid snakes endemic to North America.Platt, Dwight R. 1983. Heterodon'. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, 351: 1-2. They are stout with up ...
'' bites are very rare. This behaviour has earned them local
common names such as "puff adder", "blowing adder", "flathead", "spreadhead", "spreading adder" or "hissing adder". Note: For ''Heterodon'', "puff adder" is a common name inconsistent with established usage. "Puff adder" is the accepted common name of ''
Bitis arietans
The puff adder (''Bitis arietans'') is a viper species found in savannahs and grasslands from Morocco and western Arabia throughout Africa except for the Sahara and rainforest regions.U.S. Navy. 1991. ''Venomous Snakes of the World''. US Govt. ...
'', an unrelated, dangerously venomous African species of
viper
The Viperidae (vipers) are a family of snakes found in most parts of the world, except for Antarctica, Australia, Hawaii, Madagascar, and various other isolated islands. They are venomous and have long (relative to non-vipers), hinged fangs tha ...
, which incidentally does ''not'' flatten its neck in any threat display.
If this threat display fails to deter a would-be
predator
Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill th ...
, ''
Heterodon
''Heterodon'' is a genus of harmless colubrid snakes endemic to North America.Platt, Dwight R. 1983. Heterodon'. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, 351: 1-2. They are stout with up ...
'' species often roll onto their backs and play dead, going so far as to emit a foul
musk
Musk ( Persian: مشک, ''Mushk'') is a class of aromatic substances commonly used as base notes in perfumery. They include glandular secretions from animals such as the musk deer, numerous plants emitting similar fragrances, and artificial sub ...
and
fecal matter
Feces ( or faeces), known colloquially and in slang as poo and poop, are the solid or semi-solid remains of food that was not digested in the small intestine, and has been broken down by bacteria in the large intestine. Feces contain a relati ...
from their
cloaca (in liquid form) and let their
tongue
The tongue is a muscular organ in the mouth of a typical tetrapod. It manipulates food for mastication and swallowing as part of the digestive process, and is the primary organ of taste. The tongue's upper surface (dorsum) is covered by taste ...
s hang out of their
mouth, sometimes accompanied by small droplets of blood. If they are rolled upright while in this state, they will often roll back as if insisting they really are dead. It has been observed that the snake, while appearing to be dead, will still watch the threat that caused the death pose. The snake will 'resurrect' sooner if the threat is looking away from it than if the threat is looking at the snake.
They are rather timid snakes and commonly hide from predators by burrowing down into leaves, sand, etc.
Diet
''
Heterodon
''Heterodon'' is a genus of harmless colubrid snakes endemic to North America.Platt, Dwight R. 1983. Heterodon'. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, 351: 1-2. They are stout with up ...
'' are diurnal active foragers that typically consume their prey live without any constriction or body pinning, primarily relying on only their jaws to subdue their prey.
For most hognose snake species, the bulk of their
diet
Diet may refer to:
Food
* Diet (nutrition), the sum of the food consumed by an organism or group
* Dieting, the deliberate selection of food to control body weight or nutrient intake
** Diet food, foods that aid in creating a diet for weight loss ...
is made up of
rodent
Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are n ...
s and
lizards. ''Heterodon platirhinos'' is an exception, and specializes in feeding on
toad
Toad is a common name for certain frogs, especially of the family Bufonidae, that are characterized by dry, leathery skin, short legs, and large bumps covering the parotoid glands.
A distinction between frogs and toads is not made in scient ...
s, although other food items such as eggs and insects can make up as much as 50% of its diet.
In captivity
Hognose snakes are frequently found in
herpetoculture
Herpetoculture is the keeping of live reptiles and amphibians in captivity, whether as a hobby or as a commercial breeding operation. "Herps" is an informal term for both reptiles and amphibians, shortened from the scientific umbrella term “he ...
. ''Heterodon nasicus'' is often considered to be the easiest to care for, and captive-bred stock is easily found. ''Heterodon platirhinos'' is also commonly found, but their dietary requirements can be a challenge for some keepers, and there is anecdotal evidence to suggest that feeding them a diet of exclusively rodents contributes to liver problems and a shortened life span.
''Leioheterodon'' species are imported regularly from Madagascar, but they are not often bred in captivity and get much larger, so they can pose a set of different challenges for care. ''Lystrophis'' species are fairly new to the commercial
reptile trade, and are now commonly bred in captivity, but can be some of the more expensive hognose snakes available. Some states, such as the state of Colorado, have strict laws on keeping the western hognose snake. It is considered a native species to Colorado, so it is protected by law. The law states that an individual can keep no more than four native snakes, and forbids the shipping, selling, and breeding of them in the state of Colorado.
Toxicity
Hognose snakes have mildly toxic venomous saliva and are frequently mistaken for the slightly more dangerous rear fanged snakes which possess grooved teeth and saliva intended for dispatching prey. Hognose saliva fails to meet the definition of a
venom
Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a st ...
because they have no injection system and do not have behaviours typically seen in venomous animals. Indeed, the teeth of the hognose ar
smoothand strong without grooves and the mildly toxi
duvernoy's secretionsare produced by the
Duvernoy's gland
The Duvernoy's gland is a gland found in some groups of '' colubrid'' snakes. It is distinguished from the venom gland and is not found in '' viperids'' or ''elapids''. It was named for French zoologist Georges Louis Duvernoy who first describe ...
, well away from the unique evisceration fangs for which the genus is named. Hognose have never been formally documented using their saliva to kill prey, rather they kill by sawing and impaling prey, biting prey from the side rather than at the head to facilitate this process. Although it is possible that some day one or more species may provide data that alter the current classification of mildly toxic saliva to actual venom, the absence of any injection mechanism and indeed adaptations counter to venom injection will most likely always leave them difficult to classify. Hognose are perhaps best described as a transitional species with toxic saliva that is only produced during feeding, failing to fall into either of the classic recognisable categories of venomous or non venomous. Although their saliva is not likely to cause serious injury to humans in small amounts, should the toxic feeding saliva make its way into a cut in large enough amounts over an extended period of time the resultin
swelling and localized tissue damagecan b
problematic in at least one species, H. Nasicus Such occurrences are rare however as they are uninclined to bite, instead striking with mouth closed or playing dead. For these reasons they have been popular pets for more than 100 years despite the irritation experienced should they mistake their keeper's hand for food.
References
{{reflist
External links
thehognosesnake.co.uk Hognose snakes are really important.Hognose.com*
Western hognose snakeSpecies account from the Iowa Reptile and Amphibian Field Guide
*
Eastern hognose snakeSpecies account from the Iowa Reptile and Amphibian Field Guide
World of HognoseWebsite for color mutations with pictures, breeders, and advice for the care of hognose snakes
Colubrids
Articles containing video clips
Snake common names
Snakes