Hognose snakes fake death to avoid predation
As humans, we are hardwired to have an unwarranted fear of snakes. This is owing to the fact that we don't know which reptile is poisonous, and which is not. While a majority of human beings experience anxiety at the mere mention of a snake, these reptiles are more scared of us than we are of them. That's why snakes employ a variety of techniques to hide or protect themselves from predators. One such defensive technique wielded by a hognose snake will leave you in splits.
A video going viral on Reddit shows how the snake enthusiastically pretends to play dead when it feels threatened. The post was shared by Reddit user u/Schrodinger_101, with a caption that reads, ''Hognose snake theatrically fakes death to avoid predation.''
Watch the video here:
The clip shows a hognose snake flattening its body, hissing loudly before feigning its demise, after it is touched by a human. The way the snake dramatically pretends to be lifeless is hilarious to watch. Many also called it "drama queen of the serpent world". According to Discover magazine, apparent death or thanatosis (as biologists refer to it) is a defence strategy used by a variety of species. Most of the times, it works in their favour because predators tend to prefer live prey.
Interestingly, hognose snakes are considered some of the best pets for reptile enthusiasts. It's mainly because most varieties of hognose snakes are considered harmless to humans and are generally non-venomous.
Talking of a similar experience of having a hognose snake as pet, one user wrote, "They're funny to play with in person. My wife and kids got a big kick out of it the first time I showed them one the dogs were trying to get. They just continue to insist they are dead despite how many times you flip them back over.'' Another was confused as to how playing dead works. He quipped, "I still, to this day, don't understand how playing dead works against predation. Like, if I'm trying to kill and eat you, and you die in front of me, is that not just ensuring I skip straight to the eating bit?"
A third explained this behaviour, saying, "If they do it right it can actually be very effective. This doesn't look like it could work for any predator. But if hognose snakes see predators from far away they can actually pop a blood vessel and let blood and other gross stuff ooze out of their mouth to make they look not safe to eat."
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