By Don Lyman
The Boston Globe, July 16, 2020
A young eastern hognose snake displays defensive hood-spreading. The upturned snout, or rostrum, is used to burrow through sandy soils. SCOTT BUCHANAN
As a herpetologist – a biologist who studies reptiles and amphibians - I’ve seen and caught lots of different types of snakes in the wild. But one that still eludes me is the eastern hognose snake, an unusual and increasingly scarce species.
Hognose snakes are named for their upturned snouts, which they can use to burrow into sandy soil. These thick-bodied snakes are typically 2 to 3 feet long and have a variety of color patterns ranging from uniformly black or grayish-black to a blotched pattern with tan, brown, or orangish-brown coloration, explained Mike Jones, Massachusetts State Herpetologist with the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife.
“One of the most intriguing things about hognoses [is] their wonderful colors,” said Jones.
Although they will occasionally eat things like salamanders, hognose snakes feed mainly on toads, said Jones.
One of the defensive strategies toads employ is gulping air to inflate their bodies and make themselves too big to be swallowed by snakes. But hognose snakes have a way to deal with inflated toads. They pop them.
Hognoses have enlarged rear teeth that are big enough to pierce an inflated toad’s skin, allowing the snake to swallow the deflated amphibian, according to the Cape Cod National Seashore webpage on eastern hognose snakes.
But the most unusual thing about these harmless snakes has to be the suite of defensive behaviors they use when confronted by a potential predator like a fox or a hawk, or by a person trying to catch them.
First, they’ll make a hissing noise, and flatten out their head and neck to create a hood, much like a cobra does, to make themselves look larger, said Jones. Then the hognose will strike at its attacker, often with it mouth closed. And if that doesn’t work, they’ll pull out all the stops and play dead.
“When you first see them they rear up, flattening the hood,” said Jones. “It’s very striking if you’ve never seen that before. If bluffing doesn’t work, they play dead and salivate onto the ground. It makes a mess. Not very appealing.”
And when they play dead, they’re pretty convincing, said Jones.
“If you pick them up they’re limp.”
But when it comes to dealing with people the hognose’s defensive behaviors can sometimes backfire, said Melissa Doperalski, a wildlife biologist with the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department.
“Because of its dramatic defensive display and relatively larger size compared to other native snakes, these snakes also are killed by humans, misidentifying them as a dangerous snake or just out of fear for snakes,” said Doperalski.
And surprisingly, wild turkeys are one of the hognose snakes’ predators, Doperalski said.
“Turkeys can take out a lot of snakes, said Doperalski. “Especially younger snakes, but they can take on larger snakes as well.”
In the summer hognose snakes lay eggs a few inches underground or beneath woody debris, according to an information sheet from New Hampshire Fish and Game. Hognoses typically spend the winter brumating – the reptile equivalent of hibernation - in mammal burrows or under debris.
The eastern hognose snake was recently designated as a species of special concern by the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife.
“Hognose snakes have seen a substantial decline across much of Massachusetts,” said Jones. “There are strongholds on Cape Cod and in Plymouth County, but the species has declined across other parts of the state.”
The reason for the decline is primarily due to habitat loss and degradation, Jones said. The snakes do well in pine barrens, an ecosystem with sandy soil, grasses, shrubs, and pitch pines. But much of that habitat has been lost to development.
Accordingly, habitat management efforts benefiting hognose snakes are underway in several state wildlife management areas, Jones said.
“MassWildlife, the Department of Conservation and Recreation, and the National Park Service, for example, are all aware of the benefits of pine barrens restoration,” said Jones. “Management techniques for pine barrens include mechanical removal of trees, prescribed burning, mowing, et cetera. Preliminary research conducted at UMass Amherst suggests that this type of management benefits hognose snakes.”
It’s also the case that a number of plants and animals that inhabit pine barrens, such as wild lupine, whip-poor-wills, and black racers, will benefit from hognose conservation as well, Jones explained.
Doperalski said she thinks people should care about conserving hognoses because these snakes are amazing and unique animals.
“There is so much unknown about this incredible snake, so much we have to learn,” said Doperalski. “They are complex and dramatic, truly great animals. I hope to get people excited about them. To get them to understand and appreciate their uniqueness and to want to help keep them around.”
Jones said whether we’re talking about wood turtles or bald eagles or hognose snakes, the answer is often the same.
“These animals have an intrinsic value, and they bring some people joy and enrichment,” said Jones. “In the course of my work I interact with people all over the state, many of whom think we are richer for biodiversity.”
If you see a hognose snake in Massachusetts, Jones said, you can e-mail the MassWildlife Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program with a photo and location of the snake at natural.heritage@mass.gov.
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