Eastern Hog-nosed Snake

*** Harmless ***

Common Name:	Eastern Hog-nosed Snake
Scientific Name:	Heterodon platirhinos
Etymology:
Genus:	*Heterodon* is derived from the Greek words heteros meaning "different" and odon meaning "tooth".
Species:	platirhinos is derived from the Greek words platys meaning "broad or flat" and rhinos meaning "snout".
Vernacular Names:	Adder, bastard rattlesnake, black adder, black blowing viper, black hog-nosed snake, black viper snake, blauser, blower, blowing adder, blowing snake, blowing viper, buckwheat-nose snake, calico snake, checkered adder, chuck head, common spreading adder, deaf adder, flat-head, flat-headed adder, hissing snake, hissing viper, mountain moccasin, poison viper, puff adder, red snake, rock adder, sand adder, sand viper, spotted viper, spread-head moccasin, spread-head snake, spread-head viper.
Average Length:	20 - 33 in. (51 - 84 cm)
Virginia Record Length:	44.5 in. (113 cm)
Record length:	45.5 in. (115.6 cm)

Virginia Fish and Wildlife Information Service: Species Booklet

Photos:

*Click on a thumbnail for a larger version.

		Short movie of an eastern hognose snake displaying defensive behavior
Campbell Co.	Melanistic Adult Campbell Co.

Other Online Resources:

Frogs and Toads:	Tadpoles of the United States and Canada: A Tutorial and Key
Lizards:	Virginia Lizard Identification Guide
Snakes:	Virginia Snake Identification Guide	Virginia Snake Lengths & Dorsal Patterns
Salamanders:
Turtles:	Virginia Turtle Identification Guide
General:	Virginia Herpetological Atlases

References:

Behler, John L., King, F. Wayne. 1979. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles & Amphibians. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York, NY. 743 pages.

Bishop, Sherman C. 1943. Handbook of Salamanders. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY. 555 pages.

Conant, R. and J.T. Collins. 1998. A Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles, Eastern and Central North America. Expanded, Third Edition. Houghton Mifflin, Co., Boston, MA. 616 pages.

Dorcas, Michael E. 2004. A Guide to the Snakes of North Carolina. Davidson College. 40 pages.

Ernst, Carl H. and Ernst, Evelyn M. 2003. Snakes of the United States and Canada. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C. 668 pages.

Ernst, C.H., J.E. Lovich and R.W Barbour. 1994. Turtles of the United States and Canada. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington D.C. 578 pages.

Gibbons, J. Whitfield and Dorcas, Michael E. 2004. North American Watersnakes: A Natural History. University of Oklahoma Press. 438 pages.

Gibbons, Whit and Dorcas, Michael E. 2005. Snakes of the Southeast. University of Georgia Press. 253 pages.

Green, N. Bayard and Thomas K. Pauley. 1987. Amphibians & Reptiles in West Virginia. University of Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, PA. 241 pages.

Hulse, Authur C., McCoy C. J., Censky, Ellen. 2001. Amphibians and Reptiles of Pennsylvania and the Northeast. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY. 419 pages.

Linzey, Donald W. and Michael J. Clifford. 1981. Snakes of Virginia. University Press of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA. 173 pages.

Martof, B.S., W.M. Palmer, J.R. Bailey, J.R. Harrison III and J. Dermid. 1980. Amphibians and Reptiles of the Carolinas and Virginia. University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, NC. 264 pages.

Mitchell, Joseph C. and Reay, Karen K. 1999. Atlas of Amphibians & Reptiles in Virginia. Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries Special Publication # 1, Wildlife Diversity Division, Richmond, VA. 122 pages.

Mitchell, Joseph C. 1994. The Reptiles of Virginia. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington D.C. 352 pages.

Petranka, James W. 1998. Salamanders of the United States and Canada. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington D.C. 587 pages.

Pinder, M.J. and J.C. Mitchell. 2001. A Guide to the Snakes of Virginia. Wildlife Diversity Special Publication Number 2, Virginia Department of Game & Inland Fisheries. Richmond, VA. 32 pages.

Tennant, Alan and R.D. Bartlett. 2000. Snakes of North America Eastern and Central Regions. Gulf Publishing Company, Houston, TX. 588 pages.

White, James F. Jr. and White, Amy Wendt. 2002. Amphibians and Reptiles of DELMARVA. Tidewater Publishers, Centreville, MD. 248 pages.

Wright, Albert and Anna. 1957. Handbook of Snakes of the United States and Canada. Cornell University Press. 1105 pages.

Wright, Albert H. & Anna A, Wright. 1933. Handbook of Frogs and Toads of the United States and Canada. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY. 640 pages.