Heterodon nasicus

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iHeterodon nasicus

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Subphylum:	Vertebrata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Colubridae
Subfamily:	Xenodontinae
Genus:	Heterodon
Species:	H. nasicus

Binomial name

Heterodon nasicus
Baird & Girard, 1852

Common names: western hog-nosed snake, plains hognose snake,^[1] more.

Heterodon nasicus is a non-venomous colubrid species found in of North American and northern Mexico. Three subspecies are currently recognized, including the typical form described here.^[1]

1 Description
2 Common names
3 Behavior
4 Captivity
5 Conservation status
6 Subspecies
7 Taxonomy
8 Cited references
9 Other references
10 External links

[edit] Description

The Western Hognose Snake is a light sandy brown in color, with darker brown or gray blotching, their coloration is not nearly as variable as the Eastern Hognose, Heterodon platirhinos, but they often have a black and white checker patterned belly, sometimes accented with orange. They can grow from 15 to 25 inches in length, with females generally being larger than males. The characteristic of all hognose snakes is their upturned snout, which aids in digging in the soil. Hognose Snakes are considered to be rear-fanged venomous, but are not considered to pose any danger to humans.

[edit] Common names

Blowing adder, blowing viper, blow snake, bluffer, common western hog-nosed viper, (western) hog-nosed snake, North American long-nosed snake, prairie hog-nosed snake, puff(ing) adder, sand viper, spoonbill snake, spreadhead snake, spreading adder, spreading viper, Texas hog-nosed snake, Texas rooter, western spreading adder, western hog-nosed adder, western hog-nosed snake, ^[2] plains hognose snake.^[1]

[edit] Behavior

The Western Hognose Snake is primarily diurnal, and makes use of a variety of habitats, including shortgrass prairies, grasslands, and rocky, semi-arid regions. They are typically a docile snake, that may hiss and feign strikes if harassed, and even play dead if stressed enough. They feed on amphibians, lizards, and rodents. They breed in the spring, laying 4 to 23 eggs in the mid summer, which take approximately 60 days to hatch.

[edit] Captivity

The Western Hognose is the hognose snake species which is most commonly kept in captivity. It is a small, hardy species with a docile nature that tends to make it an attractive choice for a pet. They readily consume commercially available rodents, and do not require a large amount of space or specialized care. They are often captive bred, and even color variations are being propagated, including high red, high orange, and albino variants.

[edit] Conservation status

The Western Hognose Snake is listed as endangered in the state of Iowa, and threatened in Illinois and South Dakota. It is more common in the southern end of its range, where holds no particular conservation status.

[edit] Subspecies

Subspecies^[1]	Authority^[1]	Common name^[1]	Geographic range^[3]
H. n. gloydi	Edgren, 1952	Gloyd's hog-nosed snake	United States: southeastern Kansas and southeastern Missouri, eastern Oklahoma and all of Texas excluding the panhandle, trans-pecos Texas and the extreme southern Rio Grande Valley.
H. n. kennerlyi	Kennicott, 1860	Kennerly's hog-nosed snake	Mexico from Tamaulipas and central San Luis Potosí, north and west along the Cordillera Occidental, entering the United States in the extreme south of the Rio Grande Valley, trans-pecos Texas, southwestern New Mexico and southeastern Arizona.
H. n. nasicus	Baird & Girard, 1852	Western hog-nosed snake	Texas panhandle and adjacent New Mexico, north through western Oklahoma and Kansas to southwestern Manitoba and southeastern Saskatchewan in Canada. Also occurs in prairie regions of Minnesota and prairie relicts of Illinois.

[edit] Taxonomy

Some authors elevate H. n. kennerlyi, also known as the Mexican hog-nosed snake, to species level.

[edit] Cited references

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Heterodon nasicus (TSN 174155). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Accessed on 28 November 2006.
^ Wright AH, Wright AA. 1957. Handbook of Snakes. Comstock Publishing Associates. (7th printing, 1985). 1105 pp. ISBN 0-4014-0463-0.
^ Edgren RA. 1952. In Wright AH, Wright AA. 1957. Handbook of Snakes. Comstock Publishing Associates. (7th printing, 1985). 1105 pp. ISBN 0-4014-0463-0.