Bizarre Snake Species that ‘Plays Dead’ in the United States

A peculiar snake species in North Carolina exhibits an incredibly unique behavior when threatened, resembling a true “lifeless” creature.

Instead of attacking its enemy when threatened, the hognose snake, as it is called, which lacks venom, resorts to a tactic of… playing dead, opening its mouth wide, and writhing around.

However, once flipped over, the snake immediately resumes its normal movement. This snake species bears a resemblance to a venomous snake and emits a hissing sound. Its name, hognose, is also known as the “viper blow.”

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In the wild, hognose snakes can reach lengths of up to 1.2 meters and are found in the eastern part of the United States, from Florida to New England and parts of southern Canada.

Their primary diet consists of frogs, toads, birds, and small mammals.

Despite their intimidating appearance and threatening wide-open mouth, the venom of this snake species is not highly toxic and does not pose a lethal threat to humans. It may cause swelling and itching instead.”