Hognose

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Hognose Snake
Eastern Hognose Snake, Heterodon platyrhinos
Eastern Hognose Snake, Heterodon platyrhinos
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Genera

Heterodon
Leioheterodon
Lystrophis

The hognose snake is a type of colubrid snake characterized by an upturned snout. They are notorious for playing dead when threatened. The hognose snakes consist of three distantly related genera that are artificially grouped together by the "hognose" common name: Heterodon which are predominantly found in United States and northern Mexico. Leioheterodon the Madagascar hognose snakes, and Lystrophis the South American or tri-colored hognose snakes.

Contents

[edit] Species

Genus Heterodon:

Western Hognose Snake, Heterodon nasicus
Western Hognose Snake, Heterodon nasicus

Genus Leioheterodon:

  • Speckled Hognose Snake, Leioheterodon geayi (Mocquard, 1905)
  • Malagasy Giant Hognose Snake, Leioheterodon madagascariensis (Duméril & Bibron, 1854)
  • Blonde Hognose Snake, Leioheterodon modestus (Günther, 1863)

Genus Lystrophis:

[edit] Description

Hognose snakes' most distinguishing characteristic is their upturned snout, which aids in digging in sandy soils by using a sweeping, side to side motion. They also like to burrow in masses of humus.

Hognose snakes are extremely variable in color and pattern. H. nasicus and H. kennerlyi tend to be sandy colored with black and white markings, while H. platirhinos varies from reds, greens, oranges, browns, to melanistic (i.e. black) depending on locality. They are sometimes blotched and sometimes solid-colored. L. geayi is a brown or tan colored snake with dark speckling on it. L. madagascariensis is typically green and yellow with a black checkerboard pattern along its back. L. modestus is normally a gold-brown color. The species in the genus Lystrophis are referred to as tri-color hognose snakes and sometimes as false coral snakes because they display alternating bands of red, white, and black.

Leioheterodon are the largest of the hognose snakes, capable of reaching lengths of 1.8 m. H. platirhynos gets slightly larger than other species of the genus, reaching lengths of 80 cm, where other species in the genus as well as Lystrophis species usually average around 65 cm at adult size.

Hognose snakes (Heterodon) are rear-fanged and technically venomous, but the venom they excrete is not considered to be dangerous to humans and they will never bite in defense (as the only way to get bitten by a hognose snake is to smell like their prey). There has been some debate whether or not hognose are venomous, but there is evidence that their saliva has some toxicity to smaller prey items, such as toads and frogs. The fangs have been referred to as just "enlarged teeth", but they are genuine fangs that are used for venom delivery and also prey restraint. Despite the common belief, there is no evidence to support the fangs being used for "toad popping". Under this belief, the toads inflate their lungs to make swallowing difficult, but the fangs would penetrate the lungs and deflate them. However, whole toads with intact lungs are commonly regurgitated by recently captured hognoses.

[edit] Behavior

When threatened, hognose snakes will flatten their necks and raise their heads off the ground, not unlike a cobra, and hiss. They may sometimes feign strikes, but are not apt to bite. This behaviour has earned them several nicknames, such as "puff adder", "blowing adder", "flathead", "spreading adder" or "hissing adder". Note, though, the nickname "puff adder" is only a nickname, and is not scientifically correct. There is a highly venomous viper from Africa called the puff adder, Bitis arietans.

If this threat display does not work to deter a would-be predator, hognose snakes will often roll onto their back and play dead, going so far as to emit a foul musk and fecal matter from their cloaca and let their tongue hang out of their mouth, sometimes accompanied by small droplets of blood. If they are rolled upright while in this state, they will often roll back as if insisting they really are dead. It has been observed that the snake, while appearing to be dead, will still watch the animal that caused the death pose. The snake will 'resurrect' sooner if the threat is looking away from it than if the threat is looking at the snake.[1]

Giant Malagasy Hognose Snake, Leioheterodon madagascariensis
Giant Malagasy Hognose Snake, Leioheterodon madagascariensis

[edit] Diet

Heterodon are diurnal active foragers that typically consume their prey live without any constriction or body pinning.

For most hog nose snakes the bulk of their diet is made up by rodents, and lizards. H. platyrhinos is an exception, and specializes in feeding on toads although other food items such as eggs, insects and mice can make up as much as 50% of their diet.

[edit] In captivity

Hognose snakes are frequently found in the exotic pet trade. H. nasicus are often considered to be the easiest to care for, and captive bred stock is easily found. H. platyrhinos is also commonly found, but their dietary requirements can be a challenge for some keepers, and there is anecdotal evidence to suggest that feeding them a diet of exclusively rodents contributes to liver problems and a shortened life span.[2] Leioheterodon species are imported regularly from Madagascar, and are not often bred in captivity and get much larger, so can pose a set of different challenges for care. Lystrophis species are fairly new to the commercial reptile trade, and are now commonly bred in captivity, but can be some of the more expensive hognose snakes available.

[edit] Popular culture

  • The song "Copperline" by James Taylor contains the lyrics:
"Half a mile down to Morgan Creek, leaning heavy on the end of the week.
Hercules and a hognosed snake, down on Copperline, we were down on Copperline."[3]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Burghardt, G.M.; Greene, H.W. (1988). "Predator simulation and duration of death feigning in neonate hognose snakes". Animal Behaviour 36 (November-December): 842-44. doi:10.1016/10.1016/S0003-3472(88)80127-1. 
  2. ^ Hognose.com: Eastern Hognose Species Description
  3. ^ "Carolina on my mind: The James Taylor story," exhibit at the Chapel Hill Museum, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Information retrieved 2007-12-24.

[edit] External links

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