The Western Hognose Snake is a species of colubrid snake that is native to parts of North America.
They are sometimes referred to as the Plains Hognose Snake or the Prairie Hognose Snake but they are most widely known as the Western Hognose Snake.
Western Hognose Snake Taxonomy
In the Animal Kingdom, Taxonomy is used as the science and practice of classifying different species and sub-species based on their biological and genetic makeup.
Western Hognose Snake Family
The Western Hognose Snake belongs to the Colubridae or Colubrid family of snakes. This is the largest family of Snakes in the world consisting of many popular species such as Corn Snakes and Western Hognose Snake.
With around 250 different genera of Colubrids, these snakes can be found on every continent except Antarctica which also makes them the most widely distributed family of snake in the world.
The vast majority of Colubrid snakes are non-venomous, or at least contain a venom that isn’t considered to be medically significant to humans.
However, there are a number of species of Colubrid snakes that contain venom capable of killing humans. This includes species from the Boiga and Rhabdophis genera as well as other snakes such as the Boomslang.
Genus
The genus that the Western Hognose Snake belongs to is called Heterodon. This is a genus of harmless colubrid snakes that are native to North America.
The Heterodon genus is simply a genus that contains the different Hognose snakes. There are currently 5 recognised species in this genus.
The other 4 species include the Eastern Hognose Snake, the Southern Hognose Snake, Dusty Hognose Snake and the Mexican Hognose Snake.
The snakes in this genus have enlarged rear maxillary fangs that are located in the back of the snakes’ mouth. They contain a slightly toxic venom.
This is often referred as being ‘rear-fanged venomous’. However, the toxins are considered to be harmless to humans.
Species
The scientific name for the Western Hognose Snake is Heterodon nasicus. It was first described by Baird and Girard in 1852.
The Dusty Hognose Snake and the Mexican Hognose Snake were once considered sub-species of the Western Hognose Snake but have since been elevated to full species status.
Western Hognose Snake Description
The Western Hognose Snake is a relatively small species of snake. However, they are heavily bodied for their small size.
They typically only grow to around 40-50cm in length and males are usually noticeably smaller than females.
Hognose snakes get their common name from the upturned rostral scale on their snout. This gives their nose a ‘hog-like’ appearance.
This adapted rostral scale helps the snake to burrow by acting like a spade on the front of their head.
They have enlarged rear fangs that are located in the back of the snake’s mouth but the toxins that they produce are harmless to humans.
Natural Habitat and Distribution
The Western Hognose Snake is native to the Central parts of the United States. They aren’t actually native to the Western Coast of the United States.
They are also referred to as the Plains Hognose Snake because they can be found in the Great Plains region of the United States.
Their range extends from parts of Canada, right through the heart of the United States and into the Northern parts of Mexico.
In Canada, they can be found in the Southern parts of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
They can be found throughout most of the Central United States in states such as Montana, North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois.
They can also be found in places such as Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri.
In the Southern parts of the United States, they can be found in places such as New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.
In Mexico, this snake can be found in the Northern parts of Chihuahua and Coahuila.
These snakes like to live in places with soft and sandy soils that they can easily burrow in.
They can be found in places such as prairies, floodplains, grasslands, semi-deserts and agricultural areas.
Western Hognose Snake Behaviour
If a hognose snake feels threatened, it will raise its head off the ground and flatten its neck, making it look somewhat like a cobra.
It will then hiss loudly in an attempt to scare off a potential threat. While this might seem like an aggressive display, it is actually a defensive reaction to the snake itself feeling threatened.
These snakes actually prefer NOT to bite and will often ‘fake strike’ with their mouth closed.
If these displays don’t work, a Western Hognose Snake will often play dead by rolling over on its back with its mouth open and tongue hanging out.