Species

Eastern hognose snake

Heterodon platirhinos

A stout, upturned-nosed snake that hisses like a cobra and then plays dead.

Photo Judy Gallagher (opens in a new tab) / iNaturalist, CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab)

At a glance

Size: Usually 50 to 85 cm long
Habitat: Sandy fields, open woods and coastal areas
Diet: Toads, mainly; also frogs and salamanders
In Georgia: Statewide
Venomous: No
Rabies vector: No

Identification

Key marks: Stout, with an upturned snout; colour varies from yellow and brown blotches to plain black
Told apart from: Southern hognose snake, which is smaller with a sharper upturned snout and a dark belly
Told apart from: Pygmy rattlesnake, which has a rattle and no upturned snout
Where to look: Crossing sandy roads and paths

Behaviour

Threatened, a hognose flattens its neck like a cobra, hisses and strikes with its mouth closed. If that fails it rolls over, writhes, opens its mouth and plays dead, tongue out. Turned right way up, it rolls back over.

Why they matter

It specialises in toads, whose toxins it tolerates, and is food for hawks. Its bluff makes it one of the most misunderstood snakes.

Reproduction and lifecycle

Eggs — Usually 15 to 25
Nest — In loose sand
Incubation — About 50 to 65 days
Hatchlings — Blotched and already bluffing
Maturity — In two years
Lifespan — Several years

Living around people

A hissing, cobra-like snake in Georgia is a hognose; it is bluffing and harmless.

Misconceptions

The puff adder is deadly. Georgia's "puff adder" is a harmless hognose putting on a show.

Related species

Seasonal activity

When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.

Breeding and active nests by month for this species
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Breeding	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Active nests	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Notes	Underground	Underground	Emerging	Active	Mating	Laying	Active	Hatching	Young active	Active	Underground	Underground

Where it lives

Recorded in 35 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.

Canada

Ontario

If you found one

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