By Joshua Tyler
| Published
As an animal lover, I strongly advocate for the conservation and protection of endangered species. Except, of course, when it comes to snakes. They have it coming.
Humans scored a rare victory over our snake antagonists this week when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed adding the Southern Hognose Snake (Heterodon simus) to the endangered species list. These snakes still exist on the plains of Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas. They used to also be plentiful in places like Mississippi and Alabama, but have since vanished.
The Southern Hognose Snake is not poisonous, but it is a jerk. This species is known for dramatic defensive behaviors, including hissing, hooding its neck like a cobra, and even playing dead when threatened. It’s easily recognized by its upturned snout, used for digging, and it rarely exceeds 24 inches in length.
If the Southern Hognose Snake were to vanish entirely tomorrow, it would have no significant impact on the local ecologies it is involved in. It mainly eats frogs and is itself food for other predators. Those other predators would eat the extra frogs instead of the Hognose, eliminating the middleman. No problem at all here.
This seems like a clear win for humans. Next time, let’s aim for a more venomous member of the enemy snake army, though, friends. They need to be taught a lesson.
