The eastern hog-nosed snake will fan its head and neck much like a cobra when alarmed. The sand prairies in which it lives are now very rare in Iowa. They can secrete a foul smelling chemical. This is a medium to large Iowa snake that may be 24 to 46 inches long and has a very stout body. If the attacker continues to press upon the hog-nosed snake, it will open its mouth, writhe as if in pain, and finally roll onto its back with its mouth open and tongue hanging out. 0000024096 00000 n �R��3�[����)�ġ�Ƃ�F��� They breed in the spring and, perhaps more commonly than thought before, again in the fall. Eastern hog-nosed snakes can be found with plains hog-nosed snakes where their ranges overlap in Iowa (Berberich, Dodge, and Folk, 1971; Christiansen, 1983). Another common name for this snake is eastern hognose snake. The blotches may turn into rings on the tail. In Iowa, the plains hog-nosed snake has a very spotty distribution due mostly to a preference for a particular habitat and the result of habitat fragmentation and destruction.
Populations may be found in the Mississippi Alluvial Plain. They may not use artificial cover as often as other snakes, as they sometimes use mammal burrows and can also construct temporary burrows themselves. Plains hog-nosed snakes are not constrictors and simply swallow prey alive. 0000005880 00000 n This snake has a strong preference for sandy or gravelly situations. 0000039091 00000 n Western Hognose are small, non-venomous snakes from North America.
They, like some other Iowa herps (LeClere, 1998), cannot adapt to changes that alter their strictly sandy habitats.
Alternate names: Plains Hognose Snake, Western Hognose Snake. Another name is plains hognose snake. An eastern hog-nosed snake, Heterodon platirhinos, from Van Buren County, Iowa. Both are small snakes, growing to maybe a foot in length. The eastern hog-nosed snake’s underside of the tail is usually lighter than the belly, and not black. These snakes breed in the spring.
In fact, the eastern hognose (Heterodon) is especially well known for its habit of playing dead around predators. The labials are light colored on all the variations. 0000002735 00000 n 0000003551 00000 n Even a large 43 inch specimen I found in Johnson County would not bite, but it acted as though it would. This behavior causes it to be called blow snake, spreading adder, hissing adder, or puff adder by local people. If this front fails and persecution persists, it will twist and turn as though in pain and then roll over on its back and play dead! It is illegal to kill or collect this species by law in Iowa. -�I�ժR�8Z�J��x%V�$J�@��1���0J���Tkw�=u��Ɲ!s2% �Y�,���CNY�{�\?�"*1�����m���[�c羴��$P��?.V���[�Dn=C d-��5��4��:��(��D� ﮃa���ػK�v �]��@:ݻ�4�$'���}�+���&Ȏ&�p���/�7Z%x&�"\&Y����T�G��n���L�c��tfC3=Ft��ˉN�g���T*���p�n ��� ��x�g6��TuM�~f!�����@��w(�.�|%G��w)�(\*Rےn It closes off the opening to the esophagus and salivates. The hog-nosed snake will strike, but with a closed mouth! Eastern hog-nosed snakes are more elaborate with their act than the plains hog-nosed snake, and even though they will perform the action in captivity for a longer period of time, they soon stop in captivity. Western Hognose Snake: This is a medium sized snake that ranges from 15 to 39 inches and is very rare as it has lost much of its natural sandy prairie habitat. A former spelling of the scientific name was platyrhinos. Bullsnake Pituophis catenifer sayi. Hognose Snake Behavior and Temperament .