HARMLESSLY VENOMOUS. Uses its venom to subdue prey, but is not dangerous to humans because a) they have an ineffective venom delivery mechanism, b) their mouths too small to gain purchase, and/or c) their venom is not adapted for causing physiological damage to mammals.
The Eastern Hog-nosed Snake is characterized by keeled scales, a divided anal scale, a sharply upturned snout, and a dark-colored belly with the underside of the tail much lighter. This snake is highly variable in color. The back, head, and tail may be yellow, brown, reddish, olive, or gray, with a series of 20- 30 dark brown or black blotches on the back and similarly colored bands on the tail. The sides of the body have two or three series of small, dark spots alternating with the blotches on the back. The belly is yellowish, gray, olive, or reddish and becomes darker toward the cloaca. The undersides of the tail and the chin are usually much lighter than the belly. Adult males have longer tails and fewer blotches on the back than females. Females grow larger than males.
Adults normally attain 51.0-76.0 cm (20-30 inches) in total length. The largest specimen from Kansas is a female (KU 221200) from Harper County with total length of 109.7 cm (431⁄8 inches) collected by Kevin Albright on 23 August 1992. The maximum length throughout the range is 115.6 cm (45½ inches) (Conant and Collins, 1998).
This species is spottily distributed in the eastern half of Kansas but is rather well-documented along sandy regions (alluvial/riparian and dunes [and adjacent uplands] west of the Flint Hills. Pleistocene age fossil specimens are known from Meade, Rice, and McPherson counties.
Platt (1969, 1985) provided the most recent information on this species in central Kansas, and much of the information from Kansas is based his observations.
Eastern Hog-nosed Snakes live in widely varying habitats, from the forested areas of the Osage Cuestas in eastern Kansas west to the open prairies along the Colorado border. This snake prefers sandy areas and is most common in the central Low Plains along valleys of major rivers and in the eastern tier of counties. Most of Kansas (except along the eastern border) is not optimal habitat for this snake, and populations are probably therefore somewhat isolated. Taggart (1992) found 26 of these snakes in one season in five counties, as follows:
21 in Ellis, two in Rooks, and one each in Gove, Norton, and Trego. Fourteen were found dead on roads (killed by vehicles), five were taken alive while crossing roads, and seven were collected under rocks on sparsely vegetated hillsides.
Eastern Hog-nosed Snakes are active from late April to October at optimal air temperatures of 65- 95°F. The daily activity period and habits correspond to those of the Plains Hog-nosed Snake. Home ranges of the Eastern Hog-nosed Snake are larger than those of the western species but are poorly defined. Population density in the Eastern Hog-nosed Snake is no more than one per acre. During winter months, this snake burrows deep into loose soil or sand to avoid cold temperatures.
Mating in the Eastern Hog-nosed Snake occurs during April and May after emergence from winter inactivity. Courtship is not known. Females lay a single clutch of eggs each year; the number of eggs varies from four to 61 (Platt 1969; Fitch, 1985), with an average of 22. The eggs are deposited in late June or July in nests burrowed out by the female several centimeters below the soil or sand. Incubation requires 50- 65 days.
This species feeds primarily on frogs and toads, although it has been recorded eating salamanders. Gish (1962) reported that a specimen from Ellis County regurgitated an adult Spea bombifrons. Perry (1974) reported predation on an adult Ambystoma mavortium in Comanche County.
The earliest popular account of the Eastern Hog-nosed Snake in Kansas comes from the writings of Colt (1862) and her experiences in the ill-fated Vegetation Colony in early Allen County, Kansas. She references "blow snakes' on page 105... that "... when startled it blows its venom
out upon the air, causing stupefaction and death". The earliest academic account is in Mozley (1877) who lists specimens in the University of Kansas collection from Douglas County. The earliest known specimen (KU 1727) was collected in Douglas County (no additional information) in June of 1899. A specimen of this species (AMNH 3652) exists that was likely collected in association with J. A. Allen's activities around Long Island, Kansas (Phillips County) in 1884 (see Storeria occipitomaculata account and reference to [AMNH 3380]). Burt (1933) referenced a specimen collected in Rooks County during July of 1885 and housed in the collection at the Kansas State College Museum (no longer in existence; but possibly a specimen referred to by Mozley(op cit)).
Hog-nosed Snakes are in the genus Heterodon, (= different tooth). They have an enlarged tooth on each side toward the rear of their upper jaws. The hypothesized function is to aid the ingestion (actually deflation) of toads (their preferred food). When captured, toads fill themselves up with air, making themselves much bigger (and more difficult to swallow). The enlarged teeth are not connected to a venom delivery system.
Hog-nosed (and many other 'harmless') snakes may technically produce venom in their saliva... however, they should not be considered dangerous or venomous. They lack the efficient venom delivery systems of the pit-vipers (rattlesnakes, copperheads, etc.) and their venom is of such a small quantity, w/ high prey specificity, and/or low toxicity. They are also behaviorally reluctant to bite. Nearly all envenomations result from accidents during the feeding of a pet snake, combined with hypersensitivity to the saliva on the part of the bitten person. In any case, the worst symptoms include localized swelling, slight discoloration/bruising, and the formation of small blisters.
The records from the Flint Hills east are in need of corroboration, particularly the Greenwood County specimen (KU 18115) collected in 1933. Fitzgerald and Nilon (1994) and Ahrens (1997) reported recent examples of this snake from Camp Naish in urban Wyandotte County. West of the Flint Hills this taxon is locally abundant, particularly in sandy areas, such as alluvial corridors and stabilized dune sands. These areas also support healthy populations of Bufo woodhousii and B. cognatus, the preferred food of the Eastern Hog-nosed Snake.
William L. Hoyle observed an Eastern Hog-nosed Snake in an orchard in a sandy area in Cowley county on April 30, 1933, just as it was in the act of stalking a Prairie Lizard (Sceloporus consobrinus). Damp sand was still on the snake's back and the snake's track was traced back to the entrance of a hole about six feet away, where digging disclosed the den, which was about three feet long and about 203.2 mm (8 inches) deep. The hole averaged about 76.2 mm (3 inches) in diameter (Burt and Hoyle, 1935).
The Eastern Hog-nosed Snake was listed as a Kansas Threatened species in 1987 and downlisted to SINC in 1993.
The defensive behavior of the Eastern Hog-nosed Snake resembles that of the western species except that immediate attempts to escape by crawling away or hiding the head beneath the body are not as frequent. Instead, the Eastern Hog-nosed Snake more readily spreads its "hood," hisses, and "strikes." Apparently, it engages in "playing dead" for much longer periods than the Plains Hog-nosed Snake.
Based on a captive specimen, Snider and Bowler (1992) reported a maximum longevity for this snake of seven years, eight months, and fifteen days.
References
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