The Executive Director of the Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation says the Eastern Hog-Nosed snake once inhabited last parts of Ontario, but had become fairly rare over the years.
So Erinn Lawrie, says it was a surprised recently when some of them were found in the Goderich area. Lawrie says they're harmless but they do have some very unique characteristics and they've earned their reputation as the drama queens of the reptile world.
She explains when an Eastern Hog-Nosed snake gets scared it puts on quite a show.
“When they get scared they put on this big theatrical performance, so they'll actually, kind of, rise up, they'll actually square their neck out to look like a scary snake, they try to look really intimidating and they might even strike at you, but when they are striking, usually their mouth is closed.”
Lawrie adds, when all of that fails and they realize you're not going away, the Eastern Hog Nosed snake often plays dead.
“What's kind of funny is that if they realize that you aren't going away, they'll actually play dead, so they'll try to tell you that, you don't wanna bother me because I'm dead and they'll flip over onto their back and they'll even throw up and writhe around in fake pain.”
Lawrie says they're not venomous and won't harm people but she says the Huron Stewardship Council is currently conducting a study to track Eastern Hog Nosed snakes to try and determine their population and where they are. She says they're most commonly found along the shoreline on the beaches or in the dunes but anyone who sees one is asked to contact the Huron Stewardship Council.
