Click on pictures to enlarge

Western Hognose Snake

(Heterodon nasicus)

Identification: Snout upturned, spadelike; upper scales keeled; 23 or fewer rows of scales on back and sides at midbody; underside of tail mostly black; maximum total length rarely more than 90 cm (35 inches), but in Colorado relatively few exceed 50 cm (20 inches) total length.

Feigning death

Colorado Distribution: Throughout most of eastern Colorado at elevations below 6,000 feet. Fairly common. Records of this species in Moffat County in northwestern Colorado need to be confirmed.

Habitat: Sandhills, plains grassland, and sandy floodplains, often in the vicinity of, or along the margins of, streams, irrigation ditches, and ponds. Active on the ground surface or underground. Periods of inactivity are spent burrowed in the soil, in mammal burrows, or, less commonly, under rocks or debris.

Life History: Females produce a clutch of eggs in late June-July. Hatchlings emerge in August-September. Toads, lizards, and reptile eggs are the primary foods. Hognose snakes can use the spadelike snout to dig out buried prey.