Eastern Hog-nosed Snake
Heterodon platirhinos
Size
22–32 in
Status
Uncommon
Venomous
No
Region
Statewide, sandy
A harmless, thick-bodied snake famous for its dramatic bluffing act — hissing, flattening its neck like a cobra, then playing dead. Completely harmless to people.
Identification
A stout snake with an upturned, shovel-like snout used for digging. Color is highly variable — yellow, brown, gray, olive, or black — often blotched. Adults are 2–2.5 feet. When threatened it flattens its head and neck, hisses, and may roll over to "play dead."
Habitat & Diet
Prefers sandy soils in open woods, fields, and dunes where it can burrow. It specializes in eating toads, using enlarged rear teeth to deflate them, and is resistant to toad toxins.
Conservation in Indiana
Uncommon and localized, tied to sandy, open habitats. Its theatrical defenses are often misread as aggression, leading to needless killing; it is harmless and beneficial.
Similar Species & Taxonomy
The stout, upturned snout, keeled scales, and habit of hooding, hissing, and playing dead separate the harmless Hog-nosed Snake from the Foxsnake and Bullsnake it is sometimes confused with. A hog-nosed snake (family Colubridae; the rear-fanged snakes are often split into the Dipsadidae). A distinctive North American genus long recognized as Heterodon, and sometimes nicknamed the puff adder.
United States Range Map Distribution
Distribution in Indiana
