Hognose humor: Mississippi's drama queen of snakes bluffs when threatened, plays dead

Fall is here and tens of thousands of hunters will soon be in the woods in pursuit of deer, squirrels and other game, but another animal they may encounter is the drama queen of snakes — the hognose.

"The most common name in Mississippi is puff adder followed by spreadin' adder," said Mississippi herpetologist Terry Vandeventer. "Those are by far the two most common names.

"In Mississippi we have two. The eastern hognose is found all over the state. The southern is from Hattiesburg south along the Pine Belt."

While Mississippi is said to be home to two species of hognoses, the last known documented southern was found decades ago.

"That was in the late '60s," Vandeventer said. "They're probably gone."

Oscar-winning performance

Although eastern hognoses are found throughout Mississippi, Vandeventer said populations seem to be more dense in northeast and southern Mississippi. If you encounter one that feels threatened, it will likely put on a show.

"They spread the neck and the mouth gets wide like a catfish," Vandeventer said. "They try to look dangerous, or venomous for that matter, to bluff you away."

In addition to spreading their necks like a cobra, they add sound to help intimidate potential threats.

"They hiss on the in-and-out breath," Vandeventer said. "They make a lot of noise."

If that wasn't enough to scare something away, they will also strike at a perceived threat, but that's a a part of their theatrics, too.

"They'll bump you with the side of their head or with their nose, but they do not bite down," Vandeventer said. "It's all a bluff."

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If all else fails and the snake still feels it is in danger, it gives its final performance — the death scene. It rolls over on its back, writhes and then becomes completely still with its tongue hanging out.

"Every self-respecting snake knows that a dead snake lies on his back," Vandeventer jokingly said. "People love it that if you roll him over he'll roll right back over on his back. He'll even fight you to roll back over."

Vandeventer said people who are familiar with eastern hognoses enjoy watching their antics, but those who are scared often kill them.

"They make an extra effort to kill it," Vandeventer said. "They think it's venomous."

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Identifying a hognose may be difficult because there is a wide variation in color. Some are red with dark spots, some yellow with spots, some are more of a brown and others can be black.

"They come in 31 flavors, just like ice cream," Vandeventer said. "They come in so many color phases."

'Feed almost exclusively on toads'

Instead of relying on colors and patterns to make an identification, people should look at the snakes' unique nose. It is upturned to use for digging and looks like a hog's nose. 

"They feed almost exclusively on toads," Vandeventer said. "They dig their food up with their nose. They are toad specialists."

And their specialization for eating toads goes beyond that. Hognoses have small fangs toward the rear of their mouths which help deflate toads to make them easier to swallow and allow a mild venom in their saliva to enter their prey and sedate it.

Venomous? Technically yes, but only if you're a toad. In fact, it's not listed as a venomous snake by the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks.

"It is venomous, but they never bite people," Vandeventer said. "They just don't do it.

"They can't hurt anybody. It's nothing anyone should worry about."

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Contact Brian Broom at 601-961-7225 or bbroom@gannett.com. Follow Clarion LedgerOutdoors on Facebook and @BrianBroom on Twitter.