Heterodon simus

Abstract: The Southern Hognose Snake (Heterodon simus) is a poorly known and declining species in the southeastern U.S. We conducted road surveys from 1985–2012 and accumulated 764 observations of this species from the sandhills and southeastern Coastal Plain of North Carolina. Here, we report information on the size, sex ratio, diet, diel and seasonal activity patterns, and population trends of this rare species. Our results show that sexual dimorphism is biased toward larger females in this species, and that sex ratios are even in young size classes but become skewed toward males in adult size classes. Observations of this species peak during September–October, and most observations occurred from late morning through early afternoon during this seasonal peak of activity. We observed this species in similar numbers for the past 28 years, and no historical trend in our encounter rates was discernible. Recorded dietary items were made up almost entirely of the lizard Aspidoscelis sexlineata and the anuran Scaphiopus...

Abstract: : The southern hognose snake (Heterodon simus) is the smallest of the hognose snakes, occurring in the southeastern United States, from southeastern North Carolina to South & Central Florida and west to Southern Mississippi and Southeastern Louisiana. The species is a former candidate species for listing as threatened or endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The snake favors mature pine and sandhill habitats, which continue to decline in abundance in the Southeast. Habitat loss and fragmentation are the primary threats to the survival of the species. Southern hognose snakes have been documented on several military installations in the Southeast. This report is one of a series of Species Profiles being developed for threatened, endangered, and sensitive species inhabiting southeastern United States plant communities. The work is being conducted as part of the Department of Defense (DoD) Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP). The report is designed to supplement information provided in plant community management reports for major United States plant communities found on military installations. Information provided on the southern hognose snake includes status, life history and ecology, habitat requirements, impacts and cause of decline, management and protection, and inventory and monitoring.