Drama Queens of the snake world, the hognose includes a few different species of snakes - most well known for their upturned snouts, and their distinctly sassy, "lots of bark, very little bite" attitudes.
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Capable of reaching just under 3 feet in length, the hognose are not particularly large, and prefer warm, semi-arid environments, and often love burrowing beneath their substrate when they can.
When disturbed, the Hognose is infamous for their hiss, which is often much louder than other snakes of comparable size, and can be intimidating to people unfamiliar with the species. This is often accompanied by repeated "bluff striking" - an act in which a snake will launch itself at a target in the hopes of intimidating the threat, but the hognose's mouth will remain closed, limiting risk of harm to the snake itself.
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Rear-fanged and possessing only an mild venom, hognose are largely considered harmless to humans, the exception being allergic reactions. They are often classified as non-venemous because of this, and are a favourite in the pet trade. If they feel threatened, however, the hognose will do it's very best to convince you it IS dangerous, spreading out it's ribs and flattening out it's head in an effort to mimic it's much deadlier cousin: the cobra.
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It is this behaviour that has earned them the first of their many nicknames: the "puff adder."
Finally, as a last resort, if a hognose feels truly threatened, it may flop onto it's back, mouth open, tongue hanging out, and proceed to either write violently, or lay completely still, seemingly playing dead. They may accompany this behaviour by defecating or regurgitating their food as well.
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The exact reasoning behind this is unknown, though some theorize that it is an attempt to make the snake appear ill or infected, and make it as unappealing as possible to potential predators. Once they feel it is safe, the snakes will flip back onto their bellies and continue as normal.**
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It's this tendency to play dead that has earned them another of their nicknames as "zombie snakes."
**While their tendency to play dead IS interesting (and often a performance worthy of an Oscar) it is NOT recommended to try and goad a hognose into engaging in this behavior, whether it is a wild or captive snake.
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Playing dead is usually a sign the snake is under extreme stress and afraid for it's life. Additionally, regurgitation is never healthy for a snake, and can lead to health problems later on down the road.
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A well-cared for hognose will likely always be quite huffy when you first attempt to pick it up, but if it is otherwise healthy, happy, and has been appropriately socialized, it should not be resorting to playing dead when you attempt to handle it
I love it! Do note that the nickname used as common misnomer may be dangerous - in Africa we have a snake called "puff adder" which IS venomous and is responsible for may deaths.
You can read about them here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puff_adder
"Venom
This species is responsible for more snakebite fatalities than any other African snake. This is due to a combination of factors, including its wide distribution, common occurrence, large size, potent venom that is produced in large amounts, long fangs, their habit of basking by footpaths and sitting quietly when approached.[3][4][7]
The venom has cytotoxic effects[13] and is one of the most toxic of any vipers based on LD50.[3] The LD50 values in mice vary: 0.4–2.0 mg/kg IV, 0.9–3.7 mg/kg IP, 4.4–7.7 mg/kg SC.[14] Mallow et al. (2003) give an LD50 range of 1.0–7.75 mg/kg SC. Venom yield is typically between 150–350 mg, with a maximum of 750 mg.[3] Brown (1973) mentions a venom yield of 180–750 mg.[14] About 100 mg is thought to be enough to kill a healthy adult human male, with death occurring after 25 hours."
Yeah, I honestly considered leaving the puff adder out altogether because of that and meant to clarify. It always seemed unnecessarily dangerous to me that people would use that name for hognose as well, but...
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Either way, ty for adding that
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Capable of reaching just under 3 feet in length, the hognose are not particularly large, and prefer warm, semi-arid environments, and often love burrowing beneath their substrate when they can.
.
Rear-fanged and possessing only an mild venom, hognose are largely considered harmless to humans, the exception being allergic reactions. They are often classified as non-venemous because of this, and are a favourite in the pet trade. If they feel threatened, however, the hognose will do it's very best to convince you it IS dangerous, spreading out it's ribs and flattening out it's head in an effort to mimic it's much deadlier cousin: the cobra.
.
It is this behaviour that has earned them the first of their many nicknames: the "puff adder."
.
The exact reasoning behind this is unknown, though some theorize that it is an attempt to make the snake appear ill or infected, and make it as unappealing as possible to potential predators. Once they feel it is safe, the snakes will flip back onto their bellies and continue as normal.**
.
It's this tendency to play dead that has earned them another of their nicknames as "zombie snakes."
.
Playing dead is usually a sign the snake is under extreme stress and afraid for it's life. Additionally, regurgitation is never healthy for a snake, and can lead to health problems later on down the road.
.
A well-cared for hognose will likely always be quite huffy when you first attempt to pick it up, but if it is otherwise healthy, happy, and has been appropriately socialized, it should not be resorting to playing dead when you attempt to handle it
You can read about them here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puff_adder
This species is responsible for more snakebite fatalities than any other African snake. This is due to a combination of factors, including its wide distribution, common occurrence, large size, potent venom that is produced in large amounts, long fangs, their habit of basking by footpaths and sitting quietly when approached.[3][4][7]
The venom has cytotoxic effects[13] and is one of the most toxic of any vipers based on LD50.[3] The LD50 values in mice vary: 0.4–2.0 mg/kg IV, 0.9–3.7 mg/kg IP, 4.4–7.7 mg/kg SC.[14] Mallow et al. (2003) give an LD50 range of 1.0–7.75 mg/kg SC. Venom yield is typically between 150–350 mg, with a maximum of 750 mg.[3] Brown (1973) mentions a venom yield of 180–750 mg.[14] About 100 mg is thought to be enough to kill a healthy adult human male, with death occurring after 25 hours."
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Either way, ty for adding that