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Eastern hog-nosed snake (melanistic female)

Heterodon platirhinos

Photo by Aaron_G
Published on Project Noah
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36.154, -95.9928

Field Notes

Description:

This snake's most obvious feature is its pointed, upturned snout. It has a yellow to tan body color with dark blotches down its back and round spots along its sides. The underside of the tail is light and the anal plate is divided. [This specimen is melanistic and looks different than the typical Heterodon platirhinos. See the Notes section below for a better description.] Adults 20 - 40 inches (51 - 102 cm)

Habitat:

Wooded hillsides, fields, and sandy areas

Notes:

This specimen is melanistic, which means it has an increased amount of black pigmentation in its skin. This seems to be common in the species, yet it's the only melanistic snake I've ever run across.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melanism

Reference Links:

EOL: Heterodon platirhinos, Heterodon platirhinos

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (8)
Aaron_G
Very cool about the blog. I actually read it on my lunch break today because I'm a Project Noah junkie! ;-)
KarenL
Congratulations Aaron, this spotting is featured in the Project Noah blog today! http://blog.projectnoah.org/post/30390277047/the-great-pretenders
Aaron_G
This snake turned out to be a female. The family that shared her with me kept her for a couple of weeks, searching out toads to feed her. I got a call a week or so after this photo shoot and heard she had laid a clutch of eggs. Of course I was excited to collect them and incubate them. Sadly, they had called me 2 or 3 days after she had laid them so they were all dried out. :-(
seto2112
Pretty!-they seem to be pretty common in this color here. :3

Spotted for Missions

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BioBlitz! Oklahoma
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Rare Color Morphs
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Snakes of the World
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Morphed Organism ID
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Snakes of the United States - Center for Snake Conservation
Photographed
PublishedJanuary 9, 2012

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