Eastern Hognose Snake (Heterodon platyrhinos)
|
|
One of the most harmless of larger snakes, the Eastern Hognose Snake never bites humans because its most effective teeth are in the rear of its mouth and therefore useless against large animals, but quite effective for its prey: toads and frogs. The snake prefers to burrow, using its pointed snout to push through the dirt. In the open, the thick body of the hognose snake makes it a slow crawler. It is not defenseless, though, and has a repertoire of tricks to discourage predators. The snake pictured above is flattening its head in order to appear larger. They may also hiss loudly, coil up, and pretend to strike like a viper. If these tactics do not scare off a threatening animal, the snake may writhe about, regurgitate, emit a foul smelling musk, and flip itself over as if dead, even letting its tongue hang out. If it is turned back upright, it will flip over again to prove it is "dead."
class: Reptilia / order: Squamata / family: Colubridae / genus: Heterodon / species: platyrhinos
| site by larvalbug |
