Western Hog-nosed Snake
Heterodon nasicus • Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Dipsadidae, Subfamily: Dipsadinae, Genus: Heterodon, Species: Heterodon nasicus
North America, ranging from southern Canada through the central United States down into northern Mexico.
Look up Western Hog-nosed Snake in the Snake Encyclopedia →Family
Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Dipsadidae, Subfamily: Dipsadinae, Genus: Heterodon, Species: Heterodon nasicus
Conservation
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern, with localized threats mainly stemming from habitat loss, fragmentation, and vehicular mortality.
Physical Description
Heavy-bodied snake with a distinctly upturned, shovel-like rostral scale on the snout. Patterned with dark blotches along the back and sides over a lighter tan, gray, or yellowish background. Scales are keeled.
Size & Dimensions
Specimen appears to be a juvenile around 10-15 inches; adults typically range from 15 to 33 inches in total length.
Habitat
Found primarily in dry, sandy areas, prairies, open brushlands, agricultural fields, and floodplains where soils allow for burrowing.
Diet & Feeding
Specialized feeder with a strong preference for amphibians, particularly toads, using specialized rear teeth to deflate them.
Reproduction
Oviparous, laying clutches ranging from 4 to 23 eggs typically in mid-summer within underground burrows or sandy substrate.
Look-alikes
Often confused with other hog-nosed species (like the Eastern Hog-nosed Snake, Heterodon platirhinos) and various rattlesnakes due to its blotched pattern and defensive behaviors, but easily distinguished by the upturned snout and lack of rattles.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern, with localized threats mainly stemming from habitat loss, fragmentation, and vehicular mortality.
Cultural Significance
Famous for dramatic defensive displays including hissing, flattening the neck like a cobra, and playing dead when threatened.
Notable Features
Possesses a modified rostral scale used for digging and burrowing in loose soil, along with an elaborate theatrical death-feigning behavior.