Eastern hognose snake

The eastern hognose snake can be found throughout the eastern U.S. east of the Rocky Mountains from Minnesota in the northwest to New Hampshire in the northeast and as far south as southern Florida. They are also found within the southern-most part of Ontario This species can be found in all 21 counties within New Jersey.

Preferred habitat includes wooded upland hills, forest edges, fields and woodland meadows, barrier islands, river valleys, and various other habitats with loose or sandy soil and amphibian prey.

The hognose snake eats mostly amphibians, especially toads. They will also eat other kinds of small vertebrates, such as frogs, and rarely invertebrates.

This snake is usually active from late April to November. Between 4 – 61 eggs are laid in a nest a few inches below the ground surface or in rotting wood, usually between May and August. The eggs hatch in 39-65 days. They overwinter in burrows (made by other wildlife or made by themselves) or under rocks of talus slopes.

In 2016, the New Jersey Endangered and Nongame Advisory Committee recommended a Special Concern status for this species within the state, but no formal rule proposal has been filed to date. The Special Concern status is largely due to population declines and habitat loss. Reasons for the decline in their population are loss of habitat, illegal capture for the pet trade, road mortality, and direct killing. This species, like many snakes, has an undeserved bad reputation and they are often killed, which is illegal in New Jersey.

For hognose snakes, another threat is the decreasing populations of the amphibians which they feed on. Toad and frog populations in the state are threatened by disease and habitat loss, causing hognose snakes to have more difficulty finding enough prey.

HOW TO HELP

The Endangered and Nongame Species Program would like for individuals to report their sightings of eastern hognose snakes. Record the date, time, location, and condition of the animal and submit the information by submitting a Sighting Report Form. The information will be entered into the state’s natural heritage program, commonly referred to as Biotics. Biologists map the sighting and the resulting maps “allow state, county, municipal, and private agencies to identify important wildlife habitats and protect them in a variety of ways. This information is used to regulate land-use within the state and assists in preserving endangered and threatened species habitat remaining in New Jersey.”