Recent encounter with an eastern hognose snake

[Darren Haverstick]

I have loved these snakes ever since I was a little kid. I rarely see them anymore so it's always a treat when I run across one. My first time seeing one was when I was 5 or 6. My brother and I were playing catch in the front yard and the ball got away from us and rolled up against the house. When we went to retrieve it, we found a "Spread Head" curled up around it. I can remember seeing it open its hood when we got close and buzzing its tail. Even at that young age, I knew there were no cobras in Missouri but, by dang, there one was curled up around our baseball! We hollered for Mom and she came out and explained to us what our new discovery was. I've been a fan ever since!

Here's a short video of the one I found last week.



Darren

[Oldetexian]

Hey Darren. Thanks for the video of the Eastern Hognose. I have loved all snakes since I was in grade school, and used keep dozens of them when I was in high school in Texas. I still am known as a Protector of our friends with no hips. I haven't seen a hognose in 40 years or more, but I agree they are cool snakes.

[Uncle Russ]

I strongly suspect that, excluding this video, I have never actually seen a Hognose Snake before in my life.
I have quite often heard the expression of "Black Adder" but to the best of my knowledge, I have never actually seen one up close, although they seem to be one of the same.
A youngster other kids would sometimes say, "Oh it's just a Black Adder, leave him alone he's a good snake."

I did at least a 30 minute Internet search on this snake, and I ended up liking this fella, although as a rule, I don't care, even a little bit, anything about snakes.

I live by a rule that says if I see the snake first, at a distance....life is good, for the both of us.
If he startles me, or if I step on him, no matter if he is a live snake, a dead snake, or a stick that looks like a snake, things will likely go downhill from there.

[Nessmuk]

If they gophers, moles or rodents in  general, I'm  all for them.

[doggoner]

A good friend of mine classifies snakes into two catagories. If they are under six foot long, they are rattlesnakes. If they are over six foot long, they are pythons. Ether way , he kills them.

doggoner

[Ohio Joe]

Not a big snake fan myself, but all creatures have their place. It's just not the same place where I am, and if it is - one of us is going to go a different direction - that's usually me.