Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of iHeart Radio, Hey brain Stuff, Lauren Vogelbon Here. It happens less often than you might think, but when Virginia apossums get seriously frightened, they sometimes react by feigning death, and such less ditch dramatics aren't limited to mammals. The animal behavior of playing dead is called thanatosis. Much of the time, it's a hail merry effort to stay alive. The creatures who use this strategy tend to be small and slow moving against
a bigger, faster predator. The typical fight or flight response doesn't always work, and the good news is predators might not touch and otherwise easy meal if it goes into thanatosis. Every class of vertebrate animals includes a few species here and there who confuse their attackers by pretending to expire. And it turns out that you don't need feet to convince someone that you've kicked the bucket. Enter stage left. A few of the best reptilian actors you'll ever meet
the hognose snakes of North America. Hognose snakes have facial scales that give them frankly adorable upturned snouts. It's sort of like a pig's These are used to push aside dirt, sand, and leaf litter as they search for food. The North
American species belonged to the snake genus Heterodon. Other so named hognose snakes dwell in Madagascar and South America, but even though all three groups have upturned noses, they're classified under separate genera f y I. Genera is the plural version of genus, not genuses technically, and now you know, And as g I. Joe always said, knowing is half the battle. Heterodon snakes occur from the United States eastern seaboard to Arizona and the Rocky Mountains in the Great Outdoors.
You can find them as far north as Central Canada and as far south as central Mexico. The genus includes three distinct species. Among them, the largest is the Eastern hawk Nos, which can grow to about or a hundred and fifteen centimeters long. At that size, it's almost twice as big as its cousin, the Southern hawk Nos. Surrounding out the trio is the charming Western or planes hog Nos. Like all snakes, Hognoses are carnivores, and they're best known
for hunting down toads. While the snakes do not constrict, they do inject a mild venom through a pair of large fangs housed near the back of the mouth. Toads come with their own anti predator defenses, though a one technique the amphibians may use involves puffing themselves up to appear bigger. Some naturalists than cognoses can counter that trick in a pretty griesome way, though this has not been actually documented. Heterodont snakes may be using their fangs to
puncture the lungs of the toads they consume. Of deflated toad is no doubt easier to swallow, and besides toads, hog noses eat fish, blizzards, rodents, salamanders, small birds, eggs, and invertebrates like earthworms. However, higher up on the food chain, hawks, apossums, raccoons, and foxes have all been known to make a meal of a hog nose. So will a few other snakes, including the cotton mouth, and when faced with danger like this,
a frightened heterodon snake may put on a show. Eastern hog noses try to intimidate foes by flattening their necks and rearing up with a threatening hiss. They've thus earned the nickname puff adders. But unlike real adders, Heterodon snakes don't rely on their venom as a means of self defense. Remember, hog nosed fangs are situated towards the back of the mouth. Because of this dental arrangement, the snakes have two more or less chew on the target before any venom can
be administered. Since that's not an efficient way to drive off bigger animals, wild hog noses seldom bite their attackers. But let's get back to the theatrics. When it comes to playing dead. Hawknosed snakes pull out all the stops. You might say, they go whole. Hog hawk nose in the throes of thanatosis will writhe around wildly, then go belly up. It hangs its mouth open, tongue dramatically dangling. Sometimes it regurgitates food or releases its bowels in the process,
which really grabs up the yuck factor. And actually, there may be something extra repellent about Heterodon fecal matter. Toads that get eaten by the snakes carry a poison called buphotoxin. Perhaps the scent of hawknos poop that's chuck full of this stuff encourages other animals to stay away. Even experts have questions about the purpose of the act and how it developed in hognose snakes. Clearly, it's an innate behavior.
Even scared hatchlings will play dead, and not all actors show equal dedication, though a one scientist observed a pair of adult Eastern hog noses that decided to fake their own deaths while still connected in sexual intercourse. Apparently, the female snake broke character before her partner did, and then dragged him behind her for a considerable distance. And if you flip a hog nose over in the middle of its dead snake routine, it's liable to roll back over
and reassume the death pose. Hog Noses are less disposed to playing dead in a captive setting, as long as they're not stressed easily housed in a twenty gallon or terrarium, the snakes can make wonderful pets. I know one named Henry,
and I love him. A Western hog noses are especially popular with keepers and breeders alike, and despite being minimous, Heterodon snakes rarely bite larger creatures people included, and the venom these reptiles carry isn't considered dangerous to humans, though getting injected with it may lead to blisters, swelling, and
other symptoms. Such accidents most often occur when the snakes els food on its owner's fingers, and you can avoid that problem by washing your hands thoroughly before each interaction. Today's episode is based on the article hog nosed snakes play dead like apossums on how stuff works dot Com, written by Mark Mancini. Brain Stuff is production by Heart Radio in partnership with how stuff works dot Com, and
it's produced by Tyler Klang. Before more podcasts from my heart Radio because at the heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows,