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Reptiles of the United States  
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Southern Hognose Snake Range Map






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Southern Hognose Snake Juvenile

Home »» Snakes »» Colubridae (Colubrids) »» Southern Hognose Snake (Heterodon simus)


Southern Hognose Snake (Heterodon simus)STATUS





Description: Adults are 14 to 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. 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.


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.


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.


Found in these States: AL | FL | GA | MS | NC | SC


Diet: Heterodon simus preys upon toads, frogs (especially Hyla gratiosa and Pseudacris ornata), spadefoots, and mice.


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 6 to 7 inches in total length.


Status: Listed as Vulnerable because the population size is estimated to number fewer than 10,000 mature individuals, there is a continuing decline of mature individuals estimated at >10% over the last three generations (15 to 30 years), and no subpopulation is estimated to contain more than 1,000 mature individuals.


Taxonomy:

»» Kingdom: Animalia - Animals
   »» Phylum: Chordata - Chordates
     »» Subphylum: Vertebrata - Vertebrates
       »» Class: Reptilia - Reptiles
         »» Order: Squamata - Scaled Reptiles
           »» Suborder: Serpentes
             »» Superfamily: Colubroidea
               »» Family: Colubridae - Colubrids
                   »» Genus: Heterodon
                     »» Species: Heterodon simus - Southern Hognose Snake

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Southern Hognose Snake", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0. Content may have been omitted from the original, but no content has been changed or extended.

 

 

 

 

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Disclaimer: ITIS taxonomy is based on the latest scientific consensus available, and is provided as a general reference source for interested parties. However, it is not a legal authority for statutory or regulatory purposes. While every effort has been made to provide the most reliable and up-to-date information available, ultimate legal requirements with respect to species are contained in provisions of treaties to which the United States is a party, wildlife statutes, regulations, and any applicable notices that have been published in the Federal Register. For further information on U.S. legal requirements with respect to protected taxa, please contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

 

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