Reptiles
Southern Hognose Snake
Heterodon simus · also called southern hognose snakes
A hiker startles a southern hognose snake mid-path, and the small snake responds with a full cobra impression, flattening its hood and hissing loudly, before ultimately flopping over and playing dead when the bluff alone doesn’t work.
Overview
The southern hognose snake, Heterodon simus, is a small, toad-eating snake native to sandy grassland and forest habitat across the coastal plain of the southeastern United States. Its dramatic cobra-like defensive display, significant decline across much of its historical range, and complete harmlessness despite the theatre make it one of the more genuinely at-risk and behaviourally memorable snakes in the region.
All bluff, no bite
Between the hooded hissing and the convincing death act, the southern hognose snake puts on one of the more elaborate defensive performances of any North American snake, backed by absolutely no venom to make good on the threat.
Status
Vulnerable — declining significantly across much of its historical range in the southeastern coastal plain due to habitat loss and fragmentation.
Southern Hognose Snake: common questions
How is the southern hognose snake different from the eastern hognose snake?
The southern hognose snake is noticeably smaller than the eastern hognose snake and has declined far more significantly across its range, now considered one of the more genuinely at-risk snakes in the southeastern coastal plain, while the eastern hognose remains comparatively widespread and common.
Why does the southern hognose snake play dead?
When its initial defensive bluff of flattening its neck into a cobra-like hood and hissing fails to deter a predator, this species will roll over and go completely limp, feigning death in a final attempt to convince the predator it is no longer worth attacking.
Is the southern hognose snake dangerous to people?
No, despite its dramatic hooding, hissing, and death-feigning display, this species has no venom of medical significance and is completely harmless to people, relying entirely on bluff and theatre rather than any genuine offensive capability.
Why has the southern hognose snake declined so much?
This species has disappeared from a large portion of its historical range in the southeastern coastal plain due to habitat loss and fragmentation of the sandy, open grassland and forest habitat it depends on, a decline steep enough to classify it as Vulnerable.