Western Hog Nose Snake

adult length:15– 33 inches

adult weight: 22 – 38 ounces

average lifespan:15 – 20 years

habitat: Prefers open gravel or sandy terrain

diet: Newborns prefer carrion; adults eat frogs, toads, lizards, small snakes, reptile eggs, ground-nesting bird eggs, rodents, and small birds

reproduction: 4 to 23 ovoid thin-shelled eggs laid in early summer months. Eggs incubate about 45 days.

did you know? The hognose snake has an elaborate act to play dead when threatened by a predator. These snakes will twist their bodies as if in extreme pain, regurgitate recently eaten food, hang their tongues out of their mouths and even bleed.