WEBVTT - How Do Hognose Snakes Play Dead?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of iHeart Radio, Hey

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<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff, Lauren Vogelbon Here. It happens less often than

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<v Speaker 1>you might think, but when Virginia apossums get seriously frightened,

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<v Speaker 1>they sometimes react by feigning death, and such less ditch

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<v Speaker 1>dramatics aren't limited to mammals. The animal behavior of playing

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<v Speaker 1>dead is called thanatosis. Much of the time, it's a

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<v Speaker 1>hail merry effort to stay alive. The creatures who use

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<v Speaker 1>this strategy tend to be small and slow moving against

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<v Speaker 1>a bigger, faster predator. The typical fight or flight response

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<v Speaker 1>doesn't always work, and the good news is predators might

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<v Speaker 1>not touch and otherwise easy meal if it goes into thanatosis.

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<v Speaker 1>Every class of vertebrate animals includes a few species here

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<v Speaker 1>and there who confuse their attackers by pretending to expire.

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<v Speaker 1>And it turns out that you don't need feet to

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<v Speaker 1>convince someone that you've kicked the bucket. Enter stage left.

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<v Speaker 1>A few of the best reptilian actors you'll ever meet

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<v Speaker 1>the hognose snakes of North America. Hognose snakes have facial

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<v Speaker 1>scales that give them frankly adorable upturned snouts. It's sort

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<v Speaker 1>of like a pig's These are used to push aside dirt, sand,

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<v Speaker 1>and leaf litter as they search for food. The North

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<v Speaker 1>American species belonged to the snake genus Heterodon. Other so

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<v Speaker 1>named hognose snakes dwell in Madagascar and South America, but

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<v Speaker 1>even though all three groups have upturned noses, they're classified

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<v Speaker 1>under separate genera f y I. Genera is the plural

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<v Speaker 1>version of genus, not genuses technically, and now you know,

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<v Speaker 1>And as g I. Joe always said, knowing is half

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<v Speaker 1>the battle. Heterodon snakes occur from the United States eastern

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<v Speaker 1>seaboard to Arizona and the Rocky Mountains in the Great Outdoors.

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<v Speaker 1>You can find them as far north as Central Canada

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<v Speaker 1>and as far south as central Mexico. The genus includes

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<v Speaker 1>three distinct species. Among them, the largest is the Eastern

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<v Speaker 1>hawk Nos, which can grow to about or a hundred

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<v Speaker 1>and fifteen centimeters long. At that size, it's almost twice

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<v Speaker 1>as big as its cousin, the Southern hawk Nos. Surrounding

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<v Speaker 1>out the trio is the charming Western or planes hog Nos.

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<v Speaker 1>Like all snakes, Hognoses are carnivores, and they're best known

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<v Speaker 1>for hunting down toads. While the snakes do not constrict,

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<v Speaker 1>they do inject a mild venom through a pair of

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<v Speaker 1>large fangs housed near the back of the mouth. Toads

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<v Speaker 1>come with their own anti predator defenses, though a one

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<v Speaker 1>technique the amphibians may use involves puffing themselves up to

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<v Speaker 1>appear bigger. Some naturalists than cognoses can counter that trick

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<v Speaker 1>in a pretty griesome way, though this has not been

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<v Speaker 1>actually documented. Heterodont snakes may be using their fangs to

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<v Speaker 1>puncture the lungs of the toads they consume. Of deflated

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<v Speaker 1>toad is no doubt easier to swallow, and besides toads,

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<v Speaker 1>hog noses eat fish, blizzards, rodents, salamanders, small birds, eggs,

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<v Speaker 1>and invertebrates like earthworms. However, higher up on the food chain, hawks, apossums, raccoons,

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<v Speaker 1>and foxes have all been known to make a meal

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<v Speaker 1>of a hog nose. So will a few other snakes,

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<v Speaker 1>including the cotton mouth, and when faced with danger like this,

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<v Speaker 1>a frightened heterodon snake may put on a show. Eastern

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<v Speaker 1>hog noses try to intimidate foes by flattening their necks

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<v Speaker 1>and rearing up with a threatening hiss. They've thus earned

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<v Speaker 1>the nickname puff adders. But unlike real adders, Heterodon snakes

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<v Speaker 1>don't rely on their venom as a means of self defense. Remember,

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<v Speaker 1>hog nosed fangs are situated towards the back of the mouth.

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<v Speaker 1>Because of this dental arrangement, the snakes have two more

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<v Speaker 1>or less chew on the target before any venom can

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<v Speaker 1>be administered. Since that's not an efficient way to drive

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<v Speaker 1>off bigger animals, wild hog noses seldom bite their attackers.

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<v Speaker 1>But let's get back to the theatrics. When it comes

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<v Speaker 1>to playing dead. Hawknosed snakes pull out all the stops.

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<v Speaker 1>You might say, they go whole. Hog hawk nose in

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<v Speaker 1>the throes of thanatosis will writhe around wildly, then go

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<v Speaker 1>belly up. It hangs its mouth open, tongue dramatically dangling.

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<v Speaker 1>Sometimes it regurgitates food or releases its bowels in the process,

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<v Speaker 1>which really grabs up the yuck factor. And actually, there

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<v Speaker 1>may be something extra repellent about Heterodon fecal matter. Toads

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<v Speaker 1>that get eaten by the snakes carry a poison called buphotoxin.

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<v Speaker 1>Perhaps the scent of hawknos poop that's chuck full of

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<v Speaker 1>this stuff encourages other animals to stay away. Even experts

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<v Speaker 1>have questions about the purpose of the act and how

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<v Speaker 1>it developed in hognose snakes. Clearly, it's an innate behavior.

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<v Speaker 1>Even scared hatchlings will play dead, and not all actors

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<v Speaker 1>show equal dedication, though a one scientist observed a pair

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<v Speaker 1>of adult Eastern hog noses that decided to fake their

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<v Speaker 1>own deaths while still connected in sexual intercourse. Apparently, the

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<v Speaker 1>female snake broke character before her partner did, and then

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<v Speaker 1>dragged him behind her for a considerable distance. And if

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<v Speaker 1>you flip a hog nose over in the middle of

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<v Speaker 1>its dead snake routine, it's liable to roll back over

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<v Speaker 1>and reassume the death pose. Hog Noses are less disposed

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<v Speaker 1>to playing dead in a captive setting, as long as

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<v Speaker 1>they're not stressed easily housed in a twenty gallon or terrarium,

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<v Speaker 1>the snakes can make wonderful pets. I know one named Henry,

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<v Speaker 1>and I love him. A Western hog noses are especially

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<v Speaker 1>popular with keepers and breeders alike, and despite being minimous,

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<v Speaker 1>Heterodon snakes rarely bite larger creatures people included, and the

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<v Speaker 1>venom these reptiles carry isn't considered dangerous to humans, though

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<v Speaker 1>getting injected with it may lead to blisters, swelling, and

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<v Speaker 1>other symptoms. Such accidents most often occur when the snakes

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<v Speaker 1>els food on its owner's fingers, and you can avoid

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<v Speaker 1>that problem by washing your hands thoroughly before each interaction.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's episode is based on the article hog nosed snakes

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<v Speaker 1>play dead like apossums on how stuff works dot Com,

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<v Speaker 1>written by Mark Mancini. Brain Stuff is production by Heart

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<v Speaker 1>Radio in partnership with how stuff works dot Com, and

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<v Speaker 1>it's produced by Tyler Klang. Before more podcasts from my

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<v Speaker 1>heart Radio because at the heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

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<v Speaker 1>or wherever you listen to your favorite shows,