Connecticut Herpetology
Created and Maintained by Dennis Quinn
Eastern Hog-nosed Snake
Heterodon platirhinos
State Listing: Special Concern
Photo showing a black morph hog-nosed snake just about to shed its skin.
Photo showing hog-nosed snake feigning death. While feigning death hog-nosed snakes will emit odors through the mouth and cloaca.
Photo showing a closeup of the keeled scales, characteristic of the hog-nosed snake. The keel, refers to the raised ridge down the center of the scale.
Commonly Confused Native Species:
IDENTIFICATION
Size: A medium sized snake measuring 1.5 to 2.5 feet in
length.
Color: Variable in color and pattern. Individuals with no pattern
are solid black to gray. Patterned individuals have
orange, yellow, or tan banding on variable backgrounds
of black, gray, or tan. They have a distinct upturn rostral
scale, keeled scales, and a predominantly yellow venter.
Behavior: Hog-nosed snakes are fossorial in nature, spending a
good amount of time underground in small mammal
burrows. Defensive behaviors are highly varied, ranging
from hissing to widening their necks to false biting.
If all else fails hog-nosed snakes take defensive
behaviors a step further by feigning death.
Habitat: Hog-nosed snakes prefer dry habitats including open
fields and shrub habitats often within close proximity to
forested habitats.