Eastern Hognose Snake
Heterodon platirhinos • Order Squamata, Suborder Serpentes, Family Colubridae, Subfamily Dipsadinae, Genus Heterodon, Species H. platirhinos
Widespread across eastern North America, from southern Ontario and Quebec in Canada down throughout the central and eastern United States to Florida, west to Texas, Kansas, and Minnesota.
Look up Eastern Hognose Snake in the Snake Encyclopedia →Family
Order Squamata, Suborder Serpentes, Family Colubridae, Subfamily Dipsadinae, Genus Heterodon, Species H. platirhinos
Conservation
IUCN Red List status: Least Concern. Localized declines occur due to habitat loss, road mortality, persecution, and reduction of prey populations.
Physical Description
Distinctive sharply upturned rostral scale (snout). Variable coloration including grey, brown, tan, olive, or reddish with dark dorsal blotches alternating with lateral spots. Broad, flattish head with round pupils and keeled dorsal scales.
Size & Dimensions
Specimen shown appears to be a young adult or juvenile roughly 15-20 inches (38-50 cm). Adults typically average 20-30 inches (50-76 cm), with maximum length reaching around 45 inches (115 cm).
Habitat
Prefers areas with loose, sandy soils suitable for burrowing, including open woodlands, pine forests, sandy fields, coastal dunes, and prairie river valleys.
Diet & Feeding
Specialized feeder primarily targeting amphibians, particularly toads (Anaxyrus/Bufo species). Uses enlarged rear teeth to puncture inflated toads and deliver paralyzing saliva.
Reproduction
Oviparous. Females lay clutches of 10 to 30+ eggs in early to mid-summer inside underground burrows or under debris. Hatchlings emerge in late summer.
Look-alikes
Often confused with pygmies or rattlesnakes (Sistrurus/Crotalus species) due to its blotched pattern and defensive neck-flattening, or the Western Hognose Snake (Heterodon nasicus) which has a more dramatically upturned snout and dark belly coloration.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List status: Least Concern. Localized declines occur due to habitat loss, road mortality, persecution, and reduction of prey populations.
Cultural Significance
Known colloquially as the 'puff adder', 'blow viper', or 'hissing adder'. Serves a beneficial ecological role controlling toad populations and pest insects in sandy ecosystems.
Notable Features
Upturned shovellike snout scale used for digging; dramatic bluffing displays including hooding like a cobra, musk secretion, and death-feigning behavior.