The Thespian of Harmony Hill: A Closer Look At the Eastern Hognose Snake
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Mornings often find us sitting in the golden glow of the sun, watching our bird feeders and the various species visiting for black oil sunflower seeds, white millet, and safflower seeds. Each species has their own behavior for choosing exactly which seed they want, even how they approach the feeders. Carolina Chickadees fly in, toss a few seeds around as they search for just the right sunflower seed, then quickly fly to a nearby tree to secretively peck away at their treasure. Blue Jays broadcast their presence from afar and swoop in like a massive bomber, scaring all other interested parties away. With the feeders rocking under the force of their deliberate landing, they continue to scream as they forage for whatever fits in their beaks.
Then, there are the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds buzzing around their nectar feeders. More often resembling gladiators looking to draw first blood than the aerial gemstones they sometimes seem to be, the maneuvers and acrobatics they demonstrate put any fighter jet to shame.
As elaborate and entertaining as these moments in the morning are, they pale in comparison to another animal’s behavior we’ve seen on walks at Harmony Hill. There is a resident here with behaviors that, evolved and instinctual as they are, appear to be little more than the histrionics and grandstandings of a comedic actor. A snake that is still fogged in superstition and misunderstanding in some parts of it range, but one we love seeing each time we encounter it.
The Eastern Hognose Snake (Heterodon platirhinos) is one of our nonvenomous and diurnal, or daytime, snakes here at Harmony Hill. Though they come in a variety of patterns and color morphs, their upturned noses make them unmistakable and easy to identify.
Most of the adults we observe here are a uniform black color, or melanistic, along the entire tops of their bodies. On rare occasions, we might see an adult with large, dark brown rectangles set against a lighter beige background. Juveniles here, on the other hand, are always patterned with contrasting yellows, beiges, browns, and even tinges of orange. Those patterns are a pretty good piece of near mimicry, making them appear much more like tiny rattlesnakes than hognose snakes. Perhaps having a similar appearance to a venomous snake grants them a little hesitation from potential predators and allows them the time to grow into adults.
Being in the lower piedmont, Harmony Hill has plenty of rock outcrops and places where the terrain will give you a workout walking uphill. But we also have sandy soils in upland pine woods, some ephemeral wetland areas, quiet creek banks and pond edges.
Regardless of where you look across their large range, which covers Minnesota to New Hampshire and southward to Florida and eastern Texas, that soil and habitat formula is perfect for Eastern Hognose Snakes. As with any species, we look at quality habitat from several perspectives. Being the good naturalists we are, why don’t we look at why sandy soils, pine forests, and waters with little to no movement are a prescription for finding Eastern Hognose Snakes.
First of all, we couldn’t expect a snake to be here if there wasn’t sufficient prey for it to survive and succeed. For Eastern Hognose Snakes, they overwhelmingly prefer toads as their prey. As a species, they so prefer toads over anything else that it can be an exclusive, toad only diet! Make no mistake, they have been documented taking other prey items such as frogs, salamanders, and even insects and small mammals. It has been our experience; however, that those other prey items are a very small percentage of the Eastern Hognose Snake diet. Of the times we’ve observed Eastern Hognose Snakes feeding, we’ve only seen them take Southern Toads, Fowler’s Toads, Eastern Narrowmouth Toads, and Eastern Spadefoot Toads.
Toads tend to be fossorial, a term that simply means they spend a large amount of time burrowed underground. Have you ever had to dig a hole? Softer, sandier soils are much easier to dig in and out of, no matter the species. Toads also need standing water or, in the very least, water with very little movement in which they lay their eggs. With much of Harmony Hill having sandy soils, shallow pond edges, a creek that occasionally spills over to leave standing water, and wetland sites that hold water after big rains, the overall toad population here is healthy.
In shades of the movie “Field of Dreams” and the quote, “If you build it, they will come.”, if you have the toads, the hognoses will show up. That is the case for us here.
That upturned nose that gives this snake their name is used to dig into the soil to find toads to eat. But the toads are not totally defenseless when discovered. Toads have two main defense strategies to deter predation, with toxic skin and the ability to inflate to many times their normal size serving as perfect ways to avoid being eaten. Eastern Hognose snakes have evolved ways around those defenses, however.
Inside the digestive systems of this snake are enzymes that counteract toxins found on toad skins! And Eastern Hognose Snakes have unique, longer rear teeth that serve as a means of delivering a mild toxin and, most importantly serve to pop inflating toads like a balloon! Looking at their genus name, Heterodon, meaning “different tooth”; it is a reference to those rear fangs. Back to that upturned “hognose”, we find a link to their species name, platirihinos. That word translates to “flat nose”.
Another wonderful use for that nose is female Eastern Hognose Snakes can dig their own burrows to lay their eggs. Though, at Harmony Hill, they rarely have to. We have an abundance of rock overhangs, holes dug by critters from squirrels to foxes, and natural depressions that mean female hognoses have plenty of readymade places to lay their eggs.
Finally, the whole reason we’re visiting with you this week; their outlandish behavior! When Eastern Hognose Snakes sense any threat, they become master thespians and put on a show better than anything you’re likely to see on stage or screen. The first thing this snake does at perceived danger is to try to look big and scary. They flatten their heads and swell up to look larger than they are. They’ll even begin hissing loudly to take the bluff to another level. If that doesn’t work, they’ll strike at whatever threat they’re doing their dead level best to fool into thinking they’re dangerous. But guess what?! They rarely even open their mouths when they do this bluff strike! Even when they do open their mouths, they don’t follow through with a bite; as though a bite could do anything to a potential predator. This behavior has led to them to be called “Puff Adder”, “Spreading Adder”, and “Spread Head Moccasin”. And it has also led some to believe they are dangerous and venomous snakes, neither of which are the case at all.
If the rough and tough show fails to deter the threat, they step up to the pièce de résistance! Pulling out all the stops and proving their acting chops, the snake will roll over onto its back, writhe in what looks like the last throws of death, smear a foul musk all over themselves, open their mouth, stick their tongue out, and play dead! By appearing to die and covering themselves in a malodorous musk, they try to convince a predator they are diseased and not to be consumed.
The act doesn’t end with the death scene. Nope! If they are disturbed and rolled back right side up, they will flip back over and get back to pretending to be dead. They will stay that way until they think the danger has passed. Only then will they decide the coast is clear, roll back over and slither away. If the threat returns, they will flop right back into the greatest death scene we’ve ever witnessed!
As whacky as their antics are, the behavior serves a wonderful survival purpose! Evolution has rewarded the reptilian actor and Harmony Hill benefits from the presence of Eastern Hognose Snakes. Sure, we delight in their beauty and their histrionics. But we also benefit from the check they keep on our toad population and from the predators that keep the hognose population at an appropriate level. Coyotes and Red-tailed Hawks, Eastern Kingsnakes and Bobcats are just a few of the predators that feed on Eastern Hognose Snakes. They are yet another vital part of the healthy ecosystems of Harmony Hill, another species that shows us our management efforts are working. And in this circumstance, a species that is a case study in animal behavior and bluffing your way out of trouble!