Dramatic Hognose Snake "Death" Scene
Hognoses are probably one of my favorite snakes. I've found that they are a great species to introduce to people who are wary or fearful of snakes; they are small, docile and their upturned nose gives them an almost "cute" appearance. These guys have become incredibly popular in the pet trade over the last decade or so.
These small snakes are what we would call "bluffers" and prefer intimidation over confrontation. Even when handled in the wild, these snakes rarely bite; instead, they employ a variety of means to drive predators or harassers away. They will hiss loudly, sometimes flattening out their neck into a cobra-like hood, an attempt to look as big and as scary as possible. Like other snakes, they may emit a foul smelling musk that is unappetizing to predators.
Keep messing with one and you might see its greatest trick: they play dead. However, they don't simply flop over and "die", they put a lot of effort into a dramatic showing. (This hilarious video showed up in my facebook feed earlier this morning, perhaps one of my favorite hognose death-feigning videos to date).
The snake writhes much like a dying snake would as its nervous system fires off uncontrollably, but they do this for another reason: as it spasms about, it coats itself in a smelly musk, adding to the illusion that is it really dead and rotting. The snake rolls on its back and lies with its tongue hanging out of its mouth until the predator moves on. If flipped back upright, the hognose will flip upside down once more, as if insisting that it is indeed dead. These guys may be the best bluffers among all snakes!
Note: While the hognose is harmless, it is advised that you don't mess with them as shown in the video. While they are unlikely to bite, this does put them under a great deal of stress (to them, this is a life and death situation). Hognose snakes also closely resemble several venomous species, so be wary of possible misidentification.