Southern Hognose Snake

Snapshot

A small, heavy-bodied sandhill specialist with a sharply upturned snout — Georgia state-threatened, and proposed for federal threatened listing by USFWS. Square blotches, never solid black, often with a reddish spinal stripe. Non-venomous; leave alone and report careful observations to conservation partners when appropriate.

Description and identification

SREL: averages ~1.5 feet (max ~2 feet). Gray, tan, or reddish with three rows of dark square blotches (large middorsal row + side rows); cream belly with black mottling; variable red/yellow/orange spinal stripe. Sharply upturned rostral (steeper than eastern hognose); underside of tail same color as belly; never solid black/gray. Dark bar between eyes. Heavily keeled scales; divided anal plate.

Look-alikes

Eastern hognose — less steep snout; tail underside often lighter than belly; can be solid dark. Copperheads / pigmy rattlesnakes — pits/rattle; different head shape. The hog nose is the quick visual check — from a distance.

Range in Georgia

Southeastern Coastal Plain from northern North Carolina through Florida; historical disjuncts in Alabama/Louisiana largely gone. Georgia: Coastal Plain sandhills/longleaf. Full native range is a relatively narrow southeastern Coastal Plain band.

Full species range map

(Full native-range map pending — maps/southern-hognose-snake-full-range.png. Georgia occurrence in text above; prefer GA DNR / SREL. Not Georgia-only art.)

Habitat preferences

Upland sandhills, xeric pine–oak with wiregrass, coastal dunes; strongly tied to longleaf pine (<3% remains). Open canopy, stump holes, gopher tortoise burrows for refuge.

Natural history

Primarily diurnal; highest surface activity Sept–Oct, late morning–early afternoon — rarity is partly detectability. May hood/hiss; less likely to play dead than eastern hognose; often freezes. Digs with the snout for buried prey. Eggs ~6–14; neonates ~6–7 inches, mostly seen Sept–Oct.

Food preferences

Often six-lined racerunners and eastern spadefoot toads in studied areas; also other amphibians/invertebrates (e.g., ox beetles). Rear fangs + Duvernoy secretions for prey; not medically significant for people.

Temperament and encounters

Cryptic and non-aggressive. May hood and hiss; often freezes rather than playing dead. Never collect; never harass for photos. Listed status means leave-alone and report-from-a-distance.

Conservation and legal notes

Widespread declines and extirpations in parts of the historical range. Threats include longleaf/sandhill loss, dense plantations, fire suppression, roads, and hypothesized fire-ant impacts on eggs and neonates. Georgia: state-threatened (Georgia DNR georgiasnakes / protected nongame materials). USFWS has proposed federal threatened listing (proposal era 2025; not a final federal listing as of this draft — report current USFWS status, do not invent). Protected in states where it occurs. Maintain large sandy uplands with frequent growing-season fire.

In Georgia, non-venomous snakes are protected nongame wildlife. Per Georgia DNR materials summarizing O.C.G.A. §27-1-28, it is illegal to possess or kill many nongame wildlife species, including non-venomous snakes. Disturbing dens or homes of wildlife is also illegal (O.C.G.A. §27-1-30). Georgia DNR’s georgiasnakes overview names eastern indigo and southern hognose as the two native snakes state-listed as threatened among species discussed there (indigo also federally threatened). Report what DNR and USFWS state; do not invent statutes or exceptions.

If you meet one

Do not approach, handle, collect, or attempt to relocate this animal. Identify from a distance and leave it alone. Casual relocation is not appropriate for a listed species. Report careful observations through Georgia DNR / recovery partners when useful. Local educators can help with distant photo ID and outreach without anyone touching the animal.

This species is not venomous. Protected status means leave-alone is both the safe and legal choice. Never pour gasoline or chemicals into holes (illegal under Georgia wildlife den-protection rules).