‹ Compare two snakes
Eastern Hog-nosed Snake vs Western Hog-nosed Snake
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Adam DeHollander, no rights reserved
Eastern Hog-nosed Snake
Heterodon platirhinos
Mildly venomous(c) Meghan Cassidy, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
Western Hog-nosed Snake
Heterodon nasicus
Mildly venomousThe quick way to tell
Look underneath if you can. The Western's belly and under-tail are mostly black. The Eastern's belly is lighter, and the underside of its tail is lighter still.
Tail ★ This settles it
Underside of the tail is lighter than the belly; no rattle.
Short; underside black like the belly; no rattle.
Head
Sharply upturned snout; spreads its neck wide like a cobra when alarmed.
Sharply upturned, shovel-like snout; flattens its head and neck when alarmed.
Pattern
Very variable - blotched orange, brown, gray or olive, or plain black with no pattern.
Dark brown blotches down a sandy-tan back; belly mostly black with pale patches.
Eyes
Round pupil, with the upturned snout above; no heat-sensing pit.
Round pupil, with the upturned snout above; no heat-sensing pit.
Pits
None. There is no pit between the eye and the nostril.
None. There is no pit between the eye and the nostril.
What it does
Hisses loudly, strikes with its mouth shut, then flops over and plays dead.
Flattens, hisses and strikes with its mouth closed; may play dead.
Where it lives
Eastern US: southern New Hampshire and Ontario south through Florida, west to Minnesota, southeastern South Dakota, Kansas and Texas.
Great Plains: southern Canada south through Montana, the Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas, west to eastern Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico, east to Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri and Illinois.