The Attention Hog(nose)

November 29, 2016

The Eastern Hognose Snake is one of my favourite snakes in all of Ontario and is one that hogs a lot of my time spent herping. One of the reasons for this is the fascinating threat displays that the snake does when threatened, and let me tell you, it really grabs your attention.

Generally the first defensive display that a hognose will do if it cannot hide is flatten in it's neck to make itself look like a venomous Cobra.

Large Eastern Hognose Snake flattening it's neck - Norfolk County

Eastern Hognose Snake - Norfolk County

Eastern Hognose Snake - North Carolina Sandhills

Even the neonates (babies) will sometimes use this defensive strategy.

Neonate Eastern Hognose Snake - Norfolk County

Although these snakes are venomous, they cannot inject venom in large animals such as humans unless allowed to hold on for a long period of time as their fangs are way in the back of their mouth ("rear-fanged" is the term used to describe this type of snake). If they were to inject their venom into a human it would not be harmful as it is very mild and is only strong enough to demobilize small prey items such as toads.

So, what I am trying to get at is that there is no reason to be afraid of these snakes or their defensive posture. They will not hurt you so we shouldn't hurt them either. Too many snakes get purposefully killed due to human fear and misunderstanding.

Now, if that doesn't scare off a predator, this snake has a back up plan (... or 2 or even 3! - They're such talented actors).

One of the next defenses is one that I have only seen a single Eastern Hognose Snake do, but it is probably my personal favourite. They will open there mouth as wide as they can and make their rear fangs visible in their gaping mouth. The snake I saw do this was actually from the Sandhills region of North Carolina but since it is still the same species found in Ontario I will post a few pictures.

Eastern Hognose Snake

Another possible, and probably the most popular and common display, is that the snake will play dead. That's right. Play dead. It will roll upside down, wriggle on the ground, defecate on itself and surrounding area, open its mouth and stick it's tongue out. If you try to flip the snake back on its belly it will flip back on its back and keep playing dead. This is meant to make them a longer appealing meal for a predator. Here are a few video clips and pictures of the event in action.

Eastern Hognose Snake playing dead - Norfolk County

Eastern Hognose Snake checking to see if its clear to come back to life - Norfolk County

Eastern Hognose Snake - Norfolk County

If all of these fails there is only one thing left that they will do. Protect their heads and hiss. Hognose Snakes are also well known for creating little "hats" with their tails that they hide their heads under.

Eastern Hognose Snake - Norfolk County

At the same time they do this, they often hiss and bluff strike at you with a closed mouth (not trying to bite you).

Hissing like this is a defense that often accompanies the hiding stage. The hognose breathes in a large amount of air and hisses as it breathes it back out.

Finally, that covers all of the Hognose's defense mechanisms.

Besides having unique defensive tactics they also are an interesting snake that is unlike any other in Ontario. They have an upturned snout which is why some people call them "pigs", they burrow in the sand, prey almost solely upon toads, and are a heavily bodied snakes with relatively low amounts of muscle.

Here are some pictures I have accumulated over this year.