What happens to the hognose snake body when it is playing dead?

When the snake plays dead, it does not simply freeze its body and remain motionless. Instead, the Eastern Hognose Snake also flips belly-up, mouth wide open, oftentimes spewing blood from its mouth, and even releasing an odour as well (Milius, 2006).

Is there a snake that plays dead?

Eastern hognose snake plays dead after dramatic performance.

Do eastern hognose snakes play dead?

When confronted, the hognose snake will suck in air; spread the skin around its head and neck (like a cobra), hiss, and lunge pretending to strike. Eventually, they will even play dead, rolling on their back and opening their mouth.

Can you teach a snake to play dead?

Training a pet snake to do tricks isn’t possible. Unlike dogs and other pets, snakes cannot learn complex behaviors.

Do rattle snakes play dead?

When under attack or threatened, the snakes will lunge at and attempt to bite their predators. If this fails, they will engage in “death feigning,” which is essentially playing dead, just like opossums famously do in the face of danger.

What snakes like playing dead?

Hognose snakes
Hognose snakes will play dead as a defense mechanism. This behavior is known as “death feigning.” It’s rare in other snake species, but the southern and eastern hognose will hiss, spread their necks, roll over and play dead when disturbed.

What animal can play dead?

In mammals, the Virginia opossum (commonly known simply as possums) is perhaps the best known example of defensive thanatosis. “Playing possum” is an idiomatic phrase which means “pretending to be dead”. It comes from a characteristic of the Virginia opossum, which is famous for pretending to be dead when threatened.

Do Western hognose snakes play dead?

Playing dead for a hognose snake isn’t a party trick or learned behavior; it’s instinct. This means that it’s ingrained in their behavior from birth and is a necessary component of their survival in the wild.