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| Right in Your Own Backyard The Eastern Hognose |
We thought you'd enjoy playing the biologist and learning about one of our favorite native
snakes! Each summer, we get three or four calls from people terrified that they have a
rattlesnake or cobra in their backyard. Most of the time, what they really see is an eastern
hognose. The confusion comes from the hognoses' behavior. When they are startled, they
rattle their tails to mimic a rattlesnake. If that doesn't work, they hood up like a cobra. If
they still feel threatened, they will strike forward but close their mouths at the last second.
Finally, if the attacker hasn't given up, they will roll over and play dead. Their tongues will
even hang out to the side! If you try and flip them over, they will "die" all over again!
Here are a few important facts about your friendly neighborhood hognose:
Description: A thick-bodied, slow-moving snake with a flattened, upturned "nose." Color is
variable some have dark spots and blotches on a yellow, orange, or brown background, but
other specimens are solid black, brown, or olive with little or no visible pattern. Easily
identified by defensive behavior (see below). Adult length: 20 to 40 inches.
Habitat and Habits: A snake of open, sandy woodlands - found in the wooded dunes of
western Michigan. The upturned snout is used to burrow after toads, a favorite food. When
threatened, hognose snakes puff up with air, flatten their necks and bodies, and hiss loudly.
(This has led to local names like "puff adder" or "hissing viper.") If this act is unsuccessful,
they will writhe about, excrete a foul smelling musk, and then turn over with mouth agape
and lie still, as though dead. Despite this intimidating behavior, Hog-nosed snakes are
harmless to humans.
Reproduction: Female Hog-nosed Snakes lay from 4 to over 50 eggs in early summer,
usually in an underground burrow. The young snakes hatch out about 60 days later, and are
usually grayish with black blotches. Adult coloration appears as they mature. The young
spread their necks and hiss immediately upon hatching.
Range and Status: Though recorded from most of the Lower Peninsula and the southern
tip of the Upper Peninsula, Hog-nosed Snakes are most common in the western and
northern LP. Their numbers have declined in many places, in part due to persecution by
humans who mistakenly believe they are dangerous.
snakes! Each summer, we get three or four calls from people terrified that they have a
rattlesnake or cobra in their backyard. Most of the time, what they really see is an eastern
hognose. The confusion comes from the hognoses' behavior. When they are startled, they
rattle their tails to mimic a rattlesnake. If that doesn't work, they hood up like a cobra. If
they still feel threatened, they will strike forward but close their mouths at the last second.
Finally, if the attacker hasn't given up, they will roll over and play dead. Their tongues will
even hang out to the side! If you try and flip them over, they will "die" all over again!
Here are a few important facts about your friendly neighborhood hognose:
Description: A thick-bodied, slow-moving snake with a flattened, upturned "nose." Color is
variable some have dark spots and blotches on a yellow, orange, or brown background, but
other specimens are solid black, brown, or olive with little or no visible pattern. Easily
identified by defensive behavior (see below). Adult length: 20 to 40 inches.
Habitat and Habits: A snake of open, sandy woodlands - found in the wooded dunes of
western Michigan. The upturned snout is used to burrow after toads, a favorite food. When
threatened, hognose snakes puff up with air, flatten their necks and bodies, and hiss loudly.
(This has led to local names like "puff adder" or "hissing viper.") If this act is unsuccessful,
they will writhe about, excrete a foul smelling musk, and then turn over with mouth agape
and lie still, as though dead. Despite this intimidating behavior, Hog-nosed snakes are
harmless to humans.
Reproduction: Female Hog-nosed Snakes lay from 4 to over 50 eggs in early summer,
usually in an underground burrow. The young snakes hatch out about 60 days later, and are
usually grayish with black blotches. Adult coloration appears as they mature. The young
spread their necks and hiss immediately upon hatching.
Range and Status: Though recorded from most of the Lower Peninsula and the southern
tip of the Upper Peninsula, Hog-nosed Snakes are most common in the western and
northern LP. Their numbers have declined in many places, in part due to persecution by
humans who mistakenly believe they are dangerous.
