Eastern Hognose Snake feigns death

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When threatened, hognose snakes will flatten their necks and raise their heads off the ground, like a cobra, and hiss. They may sometimes feign strikes, but are not apt to bite. This behaviour has earned them several nicknames, such as "puff adder", "blowing adder", "flathead", "spreadhead", "spreading adder" or "hissing adder". Note, though, the nickname "puff adder" is only a nickname, and is not scientifically correct. There is a highly venomous viper from Africa called the puff adder, Bitis arietans.
If this threat display does not work to deter a would-be predator, hognose snakes will often roll onto their back and play dead, going so far as to emit a foul musk and fecal matter from their cloaca and let their tongue hang out of their mouth, sometimes accompanied by small droplets of blood. If they are rolled upright while in this state, they will often roll back as if insisting they really are dead. It has been observed that the snake, while appearing to be dead, will still watch the animal that caused the death pose. The snake will 'resurrect' sooner if the threat is looking away from it than if the threat is looking at the snake.[2]
spoco2says...

Sooo, that'd be a non aggressive snake then? Don't see many snakes down here in Australia that aren't aggressive... black snakes, brown snakes, tiger snakes. All will go you given half the chance.

ChosenOnesays...

Question then, does it produce a smell or taste of some sort equivalent to a rotting body? Cause otherwise playing dead like that seems like a free meal to predators I would think...

Morganthsays...

Yes, it does actually emit a rather foul smell along with playing dead. >> ^ChosenOne:

Question then, does it produce a smell or taste of some sort equivalent to a rotting body? Cause otherwise playing dead like that seems like a free meal to predators I would think...

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