Eastern hognose snake

H. platirhinos has a wide geographical range from the central United States to the east coast. In the northern parts of the range, it can be found in southern Ontario, southern New Hampshire, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Massachusetts.{{Cite journal |last=Buchanan |first=Scott W. |last2=Timm |first2=Brad C. |last3=Cook |first3=Robert P. |last4=Couse |first4=Richard |last5=Hazard |first5=Lisa C. |date=2017 |title=Spatial ecology and habitat selection of eastern hognose snakes |url=https://wildlife.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jwmg.21218 |journal=The Journal of Wildlife Management |language=en |volume=81 |issue=3 |pages=509–520 |doi=10.1002/jwmg.21218 |issn=1937-2817}} Going west the snake can be found in Texas and Kansas. The southern part of the range then goes down into southern Florida.{{cite book |author1-link=John L. Behler |last1=Behler |first1=J.L. |author2-link=Frederic Wayne King |first2=F.W. |last2=King |year=1979 |title=The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians |location=New York |publisher=Alfred A. Knopf |pages=744 |chapter=Heterodon platyrhinos}} Populations start to dwindle as the species reaches the northern range.{{cite journal |last1=Vanek |first1=John P. |first2=Dennis K. |last2=Wasko |title=Spatial Ecology of the Eastern Hog-Nosed Snake (Heterodon platirhinos) at the Northeastern Limit of Its Range |journal=Herpetological Conservation and Biology |volume=12 |issue=1 |pages=109–118 |year=2017 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/317342460}}

Studies have shown that H. platirhinos prefers upland sandy pine-forests, old-fields and forest edges. Like most of the genus Heterodon, the Eastern Hognose Snake prefers dry conditions with loose soil for burrowing purposes.{{cite book |last1=Scott |first1=David |title=Notes on the eastern hognose snake, Heterodon platyrhinos Latreille (Squamata: Colubridae), on a Virginia barrier island |publisher=Brimleyana |edition=1st |url=https://ia601000.us.archive.org/20/items/biostor-217907/biostor-217907.pdf}} These loose soils are preferable habitat components for nesting and egg laying.{{cite journal |last1=Cunnington |first1=Glenn M. |last2=Cebek |first2=Joseph E. |date=October 2005 |title=Mating and nesting behavior of the eastern hognose snake (Heterodon platirhinos) in the northern portion of its range. |url=https://bioone.org/journals/the-american-midland-naturalist/volume-154/issue-2/0003-0031_2005_154_0474_MANBOT_2.0.CO_2/Mating-and-Nesting-Behavior-of-the-Eastern-Hognose-Snake-Heterodon/10.1674/0003-0031(2005)154[0474:MANBOT]2.0.CO;2.full |journal=The American Midland Naturalist |volume=154 |issue=2 |pages=474–478 |doi=10.1674/0003-0031(2005)154[0474:MANBOT]2.0.CO;2 |s2cid=86235429}} Barrier beach and dune ecosystems appear to contain some of the highest densities of Heterodon platirhinos because of abundant prey (primarily anurans from the genera Anaxyrus).{{cite journal |last1=Buchanan |first1=S. W. |last2=Timm |first2=B. C. |last3=Cook |first3=R. P. |last4=Couse |first4=R. |last5=Hazard |first5=L. C. |year=2016 |title=Surface Activity and Body Temperature of Eastern Hognose Snakes (Heterodon platirhinos) at Cape Cod National Seashore, Massachusetts USA |journal=Journal of Herpetology |volume=50 |issue=1 |pages=17–25 |doi=10.1670/13-212}} At the northern end of their range, they have been found to prefer developed lands as their desired habitat followed by mixed forests dominated by hemlock trees.{{cite journal |last1=Goulet |last2=Litvaitis |first2=J.A |last3=Marchand |first3=M.N |title=Habitat Associations of the Eastern Hognose Snake at the Northern Edge of its Geographic Distribution: Should a Remnant Population Guide Restoration? |journal=Northeastern Naturalist |date=2015 |volume=22 |issue=3 |pages=530–540 |doi=10.1656/045.022.0309|s2cid=86280063 }} Based on a study in Canada, the average home range size is about 40 hectares.{{cite thesis |last1=Robson |first1=Laura Elizabeth |title=The spatial ecology of Eastern Hognose Snakes (Heterodon platirhinos): habitat selection, home range size, and the effect of roads on movement patterns. |date=2011 |publisher=University of Ottawa |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/1355765570|id={{ProQuest|1355765570}} 64 pp.}} Their habitats include southeastern and midwestern woodlands, tall-grassland prairies, and grassy or cultivated fields along woodland edges.{{Cite book |last1=Tennant |first1=Alan |title=Snakes of North America |last2=Salmon |first2=Gerard T. |last3=King |first3=Dr. Richard B. |publisher=Lone Star Books |year=2003 |isbn=1-58907-003-8 |edition=Revised |location=Lanham, MD |pages=356–359 |language=English}} Their habitat range tends to increase with grass and leaf litter.{{cite journal |last1=Buchanan |first1=Scott W. |first2=Brad C. |last2=Timm |first3=Robert P. |last3=Cook |first4=Richard |last4=Couse |first5=Lisa C. |last5=Hazard |title=Spatial Ecology and Habitat Selection of Eastern Hognose Snakes |journal=The Journal of Wildlife Management |volume=81 |issue=3 |year=2017 |pages=509–520 |doi=10.1002/jwmg.21218|bibcode=2017JWMan..81..509B }}

Image:Heterodon platirhinosPCCA20060423-3588B.jpg

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Image:Heterodon platirhinos head.jpg

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The generic name Heterodon is derived from the Greek words heteros meaning "different" and odon meaning "tooth". The specific name platirhinos is derived from the Greek words platys meaning "broad or flat" and rhinos meaning "snout".{{cite web |title=Eastern Hog-nosed Snake |publisher=Virginia Herpetological Society |access-date=April 14, 2022 |url=http://www.virginiaherpetologicalsociety.com/reptiles/snakes/eastern-hog-nosed-snake/eastern_hognose_snake.php#:~:text=Heterodon%20is%20derived%20from%20the%20Greek%20words%20heteros,meaning%20%22broad%20or%20flat%22%20and%20rhinos%20meaning%20%22snout%22}} This species of snake is described as being quite stout-bodied.{{Cite journal |last1=Vanek |first1=John P. |last2=Burke |first2=Russell L. |date=March 2020 |title=Insular dwarfism in female Eastern Hog-nosed Snakes ( Heterodon platirhinos ; Dipsadidae) on a barrier island |url=http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/10.1139/cjz-2019-0137 |journal=Canadian Journal of Zoology |language=en |volume=98 |issue=3 |pages=157–164 |doi=10.1139/cjz-2019-0137 |issn=0008-4301}} The color pattern of this snake is extremely variable. It can be red, green, orange, brown, gray to black, or any combination thereof depending on locality. Dorsally, it can be blotched, checkered, or patternless. The belly tends to be a solid gray, yellow, or cream-colored. In this species the underside of the tail is lighter than the belly.Conant, R. (1975). A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. 429 pp. (Genus Heterodon and species Heterodon platyrhinos, pp. 168-170 + Plate 25 + Map 130). The most distinguishing feature is the upturned snout, used for digging in sandy soils. The average adult H. platirhinos measures {{convert|71|cm|in|abbr=on}} in total length (including tail), with females being larger than males. The maximum recorded total length is {{convert|116|cm|in|abbr=on}}.Smith, H.M., and E.D. Brodie, Jr. (1982). Reptiles of North America: A Guide to Field Identification. New York: Golden Press. 240 pp. {{ISBN|0-307-13666-3}}. (Genus Heterodon and species Heterodon platyrhinos, pp. 164-167).

The Eastern hognose is a diurnal species. It is typically most active during April–September after coming out of hibernation. Because there is such a wide range the snake is found there is variation in the population's climates which can cause the period of activity to change. In northern climates, hibernation comes earlier and begins late September–October whereas in southern climates, the snake might not retreat until November. There have been some recorded to still be active between December–February in Florida and along the Gulf Coast. If the temperature reaches or drops below 19 degrees Celsius, hibernation will begin for the snake. This hibernation period takes place alone in burrows either dug by the snake or already made mammal burrows. To burrow, a snake forces its head into the soil then moves its head back and forth. For hibernation, these burrows will reach depths of 25 centimeters or more.

When the eastern hognose snake is threatened, the neck is flattened and the head is raised off the ground, like a cobra. It also hisses and will strike with its mouth closed, but it does not attempt to bite— a behavior known as "bluffing".{{cite journal |last1=Platt |first1=Dwight |title=Natural History of the Hognose Snakes Heterodon platyrhinos and Heterodon nasicus |journal=University of Kansas Publications |volume=18 |issue=4 |year=1969 |pages=253–420 |url=http://webapps.fhsu.edu/ksherp/bibFiles/10.pdf}} The result can be likened to a high speed head-butt. If this threat display does not work to deter a would-be predator, an eastern hognose snake will often roll onto its back and play dead, going so far as to emit a foul musk from its cloaca and let its tongue hang out of its mouth.{{cite book |author1-link=:fr:Coleman Jett Goin |last1=Goin |first1=C.J. |author2-link=Olive B. Goin |first2=O.B. |last2=Goin |first3=G.R. |author3-link=:de:George Robert Zug |last3=Zug |year=1978 |title=Introduction to Herpetology |edition=Third |location=San Francisco |publisher=W.H. Freeman |isbn=0-7167-0020-4 |chapter=Heterodon |pages=167, 328–329}}{{cite book |author1-link=Karl Patterson Schmidt |last1=Schmidt |first1=K.P. |author2-link=Delbert Dwight Davis |first2=D.D. |last2=Davis |year=1941 |title=Field Book of Snakes of the United States and Canada |location=New York |publisher=G.P. Putnam's Sons |chapter=Heterodon contortrix |pages=115–118}} One individual was observed playing dead for 45 minutes before reanimating and moving away.{{cite journal |last1=Edgren |first1=Richard |date=1955 |title=The Natural History of the Hog-Nosed Snakes, Genus Heterodon: A Review. |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3889972 |journal=Herpetologica |volume=11 |issue=2 |pages=105–117 |jstor=3889972}} This death-feigning behavior was also observed often in water habitats.{{Cite journal |last=Munyer |first=Edward A. |date=1967 |title=Behavior of an Eastern Hognose Snake, Heterodon platyrhinos, in Water |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1442248 |journal=Copeia |volume=1967 |issue=3 |pages=668–670 |doi=10.2307/1442248 |jstor=1442248 |issn=0045-8511}}

The eastern hognose snake feeds extensively on amphibians, and has a particular fondness for toads. This snake has resistance to the toxins toads secrete. This immunity is thought to come from enlarged adrenal glands which secrete large amounts of hormones to counteract the toads' powerful skin poisons. At the rear of each upper jaw, it has enlarged teeth, which are neither hollow nor grooved, with which it punctures and deflates toads to be able to swallow them whole.{{cite book |author1-link=George Albert Boulenger |last1=Boulenger |first1=G.A. |year=1894 |title=Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume II., Containing the Conclusion of the Colubridæ Aglyphæ |location=London |publisher=Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History) |chapter=Heterodon platyrhinus |pages=154–156}} It will also consume other amphibians, such as frogs and salamanders. Like all other snakes, they eat their prey whole. Because it is a toad feeding specialist, its venom is adapted to be effective against toads and has not been found to be harmful to humans.{{cite journal |last1=Cooper |first1=William E. |last2=Secor |first2=Stephen |date=2007 |title=Strong Response to Anuran Chemical Cues by an Extreme Dietary Specialist, the Eastern Hog-Nosed Snake (Heterodon platirhinos) |journal=Canadian Journal of Zoology |volume=85 |issue=5 |pages=619–625 |doi=10.1139/z07-041}}

Eastern hognose snakes mate in early April and May. Both the male and female snakes are known to have multiple mates during this season. The act of copulation can last for up to 3 days.{{cite journal |last1=Cunnington |first1=Glenn M. |last2=Cebek |first2=Joseph E. |date=2005 |title=Mating and nesting behavior of the eastern hognose snake (Heterodon platirhinos) in the northern portion of its range. |url=https://bioone.org/journals/the-american-midland-naturalist/volume-154/issue-2/0003-0031_2005_154_0474_MANBOT_2.0.CO_2/Mating-and-Nesting-Behavior-of-the-Eastern-Hognose-Snake-Heterodon/10.1674/0003-0031(2005)154[0474:MANBOT]2.0.CO;2.full |journal=The American Midland Naturalist |volume=154 |issue=2 |pages=474–478 |doi=10.1674/0003-0031(2005)154[0474:MANBOT]2.0.CO;2 |s2cid=86235429}} Occasionally, a second breeding period occurs around September and October. Rather than fertilizing a new egg clutch at this time, females will instead store sperm until the spring months for use. Males will follow the pheromone trails left behind by females on the move. Some females have been observed traveling past viable nesting conditions in order to reach communal nesting sites.{{cite book |last1=Finn |first1=Wendy |url=https://www.bnl.gov/esd/wildlife/files/research/pdf/finn_paper_2005.pdf |title=Home Range and Spatial Ecology of Eastern Hognose Snakes (Heterodon platirhinos). |date=2005 |publisher=Intern report, Brookhaven National Laboratory}} Eggs might be laid in small soil depressions, mammal burrows, or under rocks depending on the region. The female may even dig the burrow herself, often choosing open and grassy areas with few herbs or shrubs because these areas get more sunlight, because the warm temperatures it provides are needed for the proper development of the eggs.{{Cite journal |last1=Peet-Paré |first1=C.A. |last2=Blouin-Demers |first2=G. |date=October 2012 |title=Female Eastern Hog-nosed Snakes (Heterodon platirhinos) choose nest sites that produce offspring with phenotypes likely to improve fitness |url=http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/10.1139/z2012-091 |journal=Canadian Journal of Zoology |language=en |volume=90 |issue=10 |pages=1215–1220 |doi=10.1139/z2012-091 |issn=0008-4301}} The females, which lay 8–40 eggs (average about 25) in June or early July, do not take care of the eggs or young. The eggs, which measure about {{convert|33|x|23|mm|in|frac=3|abbr=on}}, hatch after about 60 days, from late July to September. The hatchlings are about {{convert|16.5|–|21|cm|in|abbr=on}} long. They have an average nest temperature of {{Cvt|23|-|26|C}} incubating for an average of 49–63 days. Some parental care is shown by the female such as nest and young guarding through hissing and chasing.{{cite journal |last1=Cunnington |first1=Glenn M. |first2=Joseph E. |last2=Cebek |title=Mating and Nesting Behavior of the Eastern Hognose Snake (Heterodon platirhinos) in the Northern Portion of Its Range |journal=The American Midland Naturalist |volume=154 |issue=2 |year=2005 |pages=474–478 |doi=10.1674/0003-0031(2005)154[0474:MANBOT]2.0.CO;2 |jstor=3566708}} Typically, males reach maturity at about {{cvt|40|cm}} SVL which can take up to 18-24 months. Females, however, reach maturity at about {{cvt|45|cm}} SVL, taking up to 21 months.

Heterodon platirhinos is a mildly venomous species where the effects are not deadly to humans. Heterodon means "different tooth", which refers to the enlarged teeth at the rear of the upper jaw. These teeth inject a mild amphibian-specific venom into prey. The fangs receive the venom from the snake's Duvernoy's gland.{{cite journal |last1=Young |first1=Robert |date=July 1992 |title=Effects of Duvernoy's Gland Secretions From the Eastern Hognose Snake, Heterodon Platirhinos, on Smooth Muscle and Neuromuscular Junction |journal=Toxicon |volume=30 |issue=7 |pages=775–779 |doi=10.1016/0041-0101(92)90013-U |pmid=1509497}} Bitten humans who are allergic to the saliva have been known to experience local swelling, burning, discoloration, and bleeding from the wounds, but no human deaths have been documented.

There are many predators of the Eastern hognose snake. These include: tarantulas, other snakes, crows, red-tailed hawks, barred owls, raccoons, Virginia opossums, foxes, and humans.

Humans cause pollution and pesticide poisoning, habitat destruction, vehicular deaths, and intentionally hunt the snake. Further studies have shown that other effects humans have on the mortality of H. platirhinos come from roads. Laura E. Robson and Gabriel Blouin-Demers conducted a study and found that the Eastern hognose snake avoids crossing paved roads, increasing the isolation of populations. The snakes will cross unpaved roads but face higher mortality from vehicle collisions.{{Cite journal |last1=Robson |first1=Laura E. |last2=Blouin-Demers |first2=Gabriel |date=September 2013 |title=Eastern Hognose Snakes (Heterodon platirhinos) Avoid Crossing Paved Roads, but Not Unpaved Roads |url=https://bioone.org/journals/copeia/volume-2013/issue-3/CE-12-033/Eastern-Hognose-Snakes-Heterodon-platirhinos-Avoid-Crossing-Paved-Roads-but/10.1643/CE-12-033.full |journal=Copeia |volume=2013 |issue=3 |pages=507–511 |doi=10.1643/CE-12-033 |issn=0045-8511}}

The hognose snake is an intermediate level reptile to keep and lives between 10-15 years in captivity. Typically, mice and rats are used to feed most snakes in captivity. With hognose being a toad specialist species, it can be tricky to get them to eat frozen thawed mice. Scenting the food with toad or lizard is a trick used amongst hobbyists to entice the snake. Being a solitary species, snakes are kept individually unless it is for intentional breeding. Due to their burrowing nature, hognose snakes require suitable substrate depth to retain this natural instinct.{{Cite news |last=Spinner |first=Leo |date=October 23, 2015 |title="The Natural History and Captive Care of the Eastern Hognose Snake" |work=Reptiles |url=https://reptilesmagazine.com/the-natural-history-and-captive-care-of-the-eastern-hognose-snake/ |access-date=November 16, 2023}}

This species, H. platirhinos, is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (Year assessed: 2007).{{Redlist species |no=63820 |genus=Heterodon|species=platirhinos|date=14 September|year=2007}} However, it is a species of increasing conservation concern, especially in the northeastern part of its range.{{Cite journal|last=Klemens|first=MW |date=1993|title=Amphibians and Reptiles of Connecticut and Adjacent Regions|journal=State Geological and Natural History Survey of Connecticut}}{{Cite journal|last=Therres|first=GD|date=1999|title=Wildlife species of regional conservation concern in the northeastern United States|journal=Northeast Wildlife}}{{Cite journal|last=Seburn|first=D|date=2009|title=Recovery strategy for the eastern hognose snake (Heterodon platirhinos) in Canada.|journal=Species at Risk Act Recovery Series}}NEPARC (2010). Northeast amphibian and reptile species of regional responsibility and conservation concern. Northeast Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (NEPARC) Publication 2010-1. Of the five states in the northeast U.S. where the eastern hognose snake occurs, it currently has "listed" conservation status in four (Connecticut, New Hampshire, New York, and Rhode Island).{{Cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/caco/learn/nature/upload/buchanan_thesis_final_draft.pdf|title=Ecology of the Eastern Hognose Snake (Heterodon platirhinos) at Cape Cod National Seashore, Barnstable County, Massachusetts |last=Buchanan|first=Scott|date=2012|publisher=Montclair State University}} Noted declines are believed to be the result of direct anthropogenic pressures including habitat loss and fragmentation, road mortality, environmental degradation, and intentional killing.{{cite journal |author-link=J. Whitfield Gibbons |last1=Gibbons |first1=J.W. |last2=Scott |first2=D.E. |last3=Ryan |first3=T.J. |last4=Buhlmann |first4=K.A. |last5=Tuberville |first5=T.D. |last6=Metts |first6=B.S. |last7=Greene |first7=J.L. |last8=Mills |first8=T. |last9=Leiden |first9=Y. |last10=Poppy |first10=S. |first11=C.T. |last11=Winne |year=2000 |title=The global decline of reptiles, déjà vu amphibians |journal=BioScience |volume=50 |issue=8 |pages=653–666 |doi=10.1641/0006-3568(2000)050[0653:TGDORD]2.0.CO;2}} Some of this habitat fragmentation may be due to eastern hognose snakes having a reluctance to cross paved roads.{{Cite journal |last1=Robson |first1=Laura E. |last2=Blouin-Demers |first2=Gabriel |date=2013-09-27 |title=Eastern Hognose Snakes ( Heterodon platirhinos ) Avoid Crossing Paved Roads, but Not Unpaved Roads |url=http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1643/CE-12-033 |journal=Copeia |language=en |volume=2013 |issue=3 |pages=507–511 |doi=10.1643/CE-12-033 |issn=0045-8511}} In the Eastern United States, pitch pine-scrub oak barrens are an imperiled disturbance-dependent community that has declined substantially due to wildfires that have threatened vertebrates such as the eastern hognose snake.{{cite journal |last1=Akresh |first1=M. E. |last2=King |first2=D. I. |last3=Timm |first3=B. C. |last4=Brooks |first4=R. T. |year=2017 |title=Fuels Management and Habitat Restoration Activities Benefit Eastern Hognose Snakes (Heterodon platirhinos) in a Disturbance-Dependent Ecosystem |journal=Journal of Herpetology |volume=51 |issue=4 |pages=468–476 |doi=10.1670/16-049}}

Image:Heterodon_platirhinos3.jpg|H. platirhinos eating a toad.

Image:Heterodon_platirhinos2.jpg|H. platirhinos.

File:Florida Hognose Snake.jpg|H. platirhinos dark color pattern.

File:Eastern Hognose.jpg|H. platirhinos in a Florida orange grove.

{{Reflist}}

• Conant, Roger, and William Bridges (1939). What Snake Is That? A Field Guide to the Snakes of the United States East of the Rocky Mountains. With 108 drawings by Edmond Malnate. New York and London: D. Appleton-Century. Frontispiece map + viii + 163 pp. + Plates A-C, 1-32. (Heterodon contortrix, pp. 39–40 + Plate 4, Figure 11; Plate 5, Figure 13).
• Holbrook, J.E. (1842). North American Herpetology; or, A Description of the Reptiles Inhabiting the United States. Vol. IV. Philadelphia: J. Dobson. 138 pp. (Heterodon platirhinos, including synonym Heterodon niger, pp. 62–70, Plates XVI.- XVII).
• Latreille, P.A. In Sonnini, C.S., and P.A. Latreille (1801). Histoire naturelle des reptiles, avec figures dessinées d'apres nature; Tome IV. Seconde Partie. Serpens. Paris: Crapelet. 410 pp. (Heterodon platirhinos, new species, pp. 32–37). (in French).
• Morris, Percy A. (1948). Boy's Book of Snakes: How to Recognize and Understand Them. A volume of the Humanizing Science Series, edited by Jacques Cattell. New York: Ronald Press. viii + 185 pp. ("The Hog-Nosed Snake", "Heterodon platyrhinos ", pp. 52–57, 179).
• Zim, H.S., and H.M. Smith (1956). Reptiles and Amphibians: A Guide to Familiar American Species: A Golden Nature Guide. New York: Simon and Schuster. 160 pp. (Heterodon contortrix, pp. 81, 156).

• [https://www.iowaherps.com/species/heterodon_platirhinos Eastern Hognose Snake], Reptiles and Amphibians of Iowa.

{{Taxonbar|from=Q2699564}}

Category:Heterodon

Category:Reptiles of the United States

Category:Reptiles of Ontario

Category:Fauna of the Great Lakes region (North America)

Category:Fauna of the Eastern United States

Category:Fauna of the Southeastern United States

Category:Taxa named by Pierre André Latreille

Category:Reptiles described in 1801