Southern hognose snake

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Southern hognose snake
Adult Heterodon simus.jpg
Adult southern hog-nosed snake
Florida red.jpg
Red phase southern hog-nosed snake
Status TNC G3.svg
Vulnerable  (NatureServe) [2]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Genus: Heterodon
Species:
H. simus
Binomial name
Heterodon simus
(Linnaeus, 1766)
Synonyms
  • Coluber simusLinnaeus, 1766
  • Heterodon simus Holbrook, 1842 [3]
Adult Southern Hognose Snake, H. Simus Glenn Bartolotti.jpg
Adult Southern Hognose Snake, H. Simus

Heterodon simus, commonly known as the southern hog-nosed snake, is a harmless [4] snake species endemic to the southeastern United States. No subspecies are currently recognized. [5]

Contents

Description

Adults are 35.5–61 cm (14–24 inches) in total length. Stout with a wide neck and a sharply upturned snout, they usually have 25 rows of keeled dorsal scales at midbody. [6]

The dorsal color pattern consists of a light brown, yellowish, grayish, or reddish ground color, overlaid with a distinct row of dark blotches that alternate with smaller blotches on the flanks. The belly is distinctly darker in color than the underside of the tail in juveniles. As the snake ages, the underside usually becomes a pale white. [6]

Habitat

The native habitats of Heterodon simus are xeric grasslands such as longleaf pine sandhill, upland pine forest, and scrubby flatwoods. In some areas, populations persist in mosaics of overgrown pastures, dry river floodplains, fields, and pine plantation.

Geographic range

The southern hognose snake is found on the coastal plain of the southeastern United States from North Carolina, south to Lake Okeechobee in Florida, and west to Mississippi. [6]

Diet

Heterodon simus preys upon toads, frogs (especially Hyla gratiosa and Pseudacris ornata ), spadefoots, and mice. [7]

Reproduction

This species is oviparous. mature adults mate from April through August. The thin-shelled, leathery, whitish eggs are laid in clutches of 6-14. After 55–60 days the eggs hatch. Each hatchling is 15–18 cm (6-7 inches) in total length. [8]

Conservation status

This species is classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species with the following criteria: C1+2a(i) (v3.1, 2001). [9] A species is listed as such when the best available evidence indicates that the population size is estimated to number fewer than 10,000 mature individuals, a decline of at least 10% is estimated to continue within 10 years or three generations, whichever is longer, (up to a maximum of 100 years in the future), and a continuing decline has been observed, projected, or inferred, in numbers of mature individuals and no subpopulation is estimated to contain more than 1,000 mature individuals. It is therefore considered to be facing a high risk of extinction in the wild. The population trend is down. Year assessed: 2007. [10] The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has listed the species as possibly extirpated within the state. [11]

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References

  1. Hammerson, G.A. (2007). "Heterodon simus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2007: e.T63821A12718888. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2007.RLTS.T63821A12718888.en . Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. "NatureServe Explorer 2.0 - Heterodon simus Southern Hog-nosed Snake". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  3. Stejneger, L.H., and T. Barbour. 1917. A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. Harvard University Press. Cambridge, Massachusetts. 125 pp. (Heterodon simus, p. 77.)
  4. "Southern Hognose Snake". The Wildlife Society - Florida Chapter. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  5. "Heterodon simus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System . Retrieved 14 September 2007.
  6. 1 2 3 Behler, J.L., and F.W. King. 1979. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians. Alfred A. Knopf. New York. 743 pp. LCCCN 79-2217. ISBN   0-394-50824-6.
  7. Wright, A.H., and A.A. Wright. 1957. Handbook of Snakes of the United States and Canada. Comstock. Ithaca and London. 1,105 pp. (in 2 volumes) (Heterodon simus, pp. 312-314, Figure 96. + Map 28. on p. 298.)
  8. "Heterodon simus at Florida Museum of Natural History" . Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  9. Heterodon simus at the IUCN Red List . Accessed 14 September 2007.
  10. 2001 Categories & Criteria (version 3.1) at the IUCN Red List . Accessed 14 September 2007.
  11. "Snakes in Alabama". Outdoor Alabama. Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Archived from the original on May 27, 2012. Retrieved June 6, 2012.

Further reading

Describes the natural history of H. simus Simus-natural-history-chart.jpg
Describes the natural history of H. simus