Big Snake Plays Possum

Eastern hognose snake playing dead (photo from Wikimedia Commons)

29 July 2021

Here’s a snake you don’t need to be afraid of because …

  1. The only way to get bitten by an eastern hognose snake is to smell like its prey.”
  2. If you frighten him he will try bizarre defensive moves (which can frighten you) but if they don’t work he plays dead. Very dead.

Learn about his bizarre defensive moves in this vintage article: S is for Snake.

p.s. The trick is knowing that you’re dealing with an eastern hognose snake. I don’t know how.

Eastern hognose snake (illustration from North American Herpetology via Wikimedia Commons)

(photos from Wikimedia Commons; click on the saptions to see the originals)

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