How to Identify the Southern Hognose Snake (Identification Guide)

Key identifying features

The southern hognose snake (Heterodon simus) is a small, stout-bodied colubrid native to the southeastern United States, most distinctively identified by its sharply upturned, keeled snout used for burrowing, which is more pronounced than in related hognose species.

Coloration & pattern

Ground color is typically pale tan, gray, or light brown, marked with a series of squarish to rounded dark blotches running down the back, often with smaller alternating spots along the flanks. The overall pattern tends to be more subdued and less boldly contrasting than in the eastern hognose snake. The belly is pale, sometimes with faint gray mottling.

Head, eyes & scales

The head is broad relative to the neck, with the most distinctive feature being a strongly upturned, keeled rostral scale that gives the snout a shovel-like profile ideal for digging in sandy soil. Eyes are moderate in size with round pupils. Dorsal scales are keeled, giving the body a slightly rough texture.

Size & body shape

This is a small species, generally 35 to 60 centimeters in length, with a stout, thick body relative to its short length and a short tail. It is noticeably smaller and more compact than the eastern hognose snake.

Range & habitat where you'll see it

The southern hognose snake is restricted to sandy, well-drained habitats of the southeastern coastal plain, including sandhills, longleaf pine forest, and scrub habitat, where it burrows in loose soil in search of toads and other small prey. It has become increasingly rare across much of its historic range due to habitat loss.

How to tell it apart from look-alikes

Compared to the eastern hognose snake, the southern hognose is smaller, has a more sharply upturned and pointed snout, and generally shows a less variable, more uniformly patterned appearance without the extreme color and pattern variation seen in its relative. Its stout body, keeled scales, and shovel-nosed profile distinguish it from most other small colubrids in its sandy habitat range.