Heterodon platirhinos
Silhouette: Mason McNair · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The eastern hog-nosed snake (Heterodon platirhinos) is a species of mildly venomous rear-fanged snake in the family Colubridae. The venom is specifically adapted to amphibian prey and is harmless to humans. However, some people may have an allergic reaction and as a result experience local swelling and other symptoms. The species is endemic to North America. There are no subspecies that are recognized as being valid. This species prefers habitats with sandy soils and a combination of grass fields and forest edges. It comes in many different colorations and has the identifiable upturned "snout." It can be found in captivity, but is a relatively difficult species to keep due to a specialized diet of toads. As with other Heterodon species, it has a distinctive threat reaction of first bluffing by striking with a closed mouth and then, if this fails to deter the threat, pretending to die.
Heterodon platirhinos has a wide geographical range from the central United States to the East Coast. In the northern parts of its range, it can be found in southern Ontario, southern New Hampshire, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Massachusetts. Farther west, the snake can be found... Wikipedia →
Recording0:12
United States · 2025
© Pat_Treece · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:08
United States · 2024
© Oliver Yung · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | San Antonio | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | National Zoological Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | North Carolina Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Rosamond Gifford Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Turtle Back Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Wonders of Wildlife Museum & Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Kentucky Reptile Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Eastern Hognose Snake sighting in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 22nd most-seen of the 27 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May–June and September–October
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an Eastern Hognose Snake in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July–August and November–April, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Eastern Hognose Snake sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Great Smoky Mountains National Park, in our data
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Eastern Hognose Snake sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same family: Colubridae
The closest relatives of the Eastern Hognose Snake that you can see in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (family Colubridae, Colubrid Snakes) are Common Watersnake (about 50%), Eastern/Central Ratsnake Complex (about 40%) and Common Garter Snake (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Eastern Hognose Snake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (10 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
