Natural History of the Eastern Hognose, Heterodon platirhinos

Natural History of the Eastern Hognose, Heterodon platirhinos

The scientific name of the Eastern hognose is Heterodon platirhinos. I encountered this specimen midday on Sandy Island, SC while it was basking on a sand road. It appears to be an adult because it looked to be about 2-3 feet in length and had a heavy body. I cannot say whether it is male or female. When I drove up to it, it slowly began to flee but then took a more coiled, defensive stance and puffed out its head and neck, as seen below. 

As the snake became more agitated, it released a foul-smelling musk, coiled around itself repeatedly and struck at me. Having bothered it enough, I let it be. This encounter was exciting to me as I have never seen a hognose in this area before. 

The Eastern hognose is native to the eastern half of the US and is usually found in areas with sandy soil. This is its preferred habitat because it is able to use its up-turned snout to burrow into the earth.

Although the snake is considered non-venomous to humans, it has an amphibian-specific venom that helps it consume its primary prey of frogs and toads.