A small, upturned-snouted prairie snake popular as a pet, famous for puffing up dramatically and then playing dead.
Description
The western hognose snake is a stout, short snake under 70 cm with a strongly upturned, shovel-shaped snout used to dig in loose soil. The dorsal pattern shows alternating brown blotches on a tan background, and the belly is heavily marked with black.
Behavior
When threatened, western hognose snakes inflate the body and neck, hiss loudly, and feign strikes with the mouth closed. If that fails they roll onto the back, gape open-mouthed, and lie still in a dramatic death-feigning display. Mild rear-fanged venom helps subdue toads but is harmless to humans.
Range
Native to the Great Plains and central Mexico, ranging from southern Canada south to Mexico. Popular in herpetoculture, hundreds of captive-bred colour morphs are now offered in the pet trade alongside wild-type animals.
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Western Hognose Snake starts with W and ends with E. Browse other snakes along the same letter.
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