This critter?
I believe that is an Eastern Hognose Snake
Could be. Ugly critter, though: Eastern hognose snake - Wikipedia
Google image/Maryland hognose snake brings up patterns similar to your pic, astro.
This harmless snake is otherwise known as a shitpants snake (sorry) around my region, because they are rarely seen, and they make an impressive display of spreading their neck region cobra-style and puffing, hissing, and striking.
That’s kind of cool. Though I would think it might get you whacked to death by a shovel a lot.
The whole hognose show is hilarious and utterly harmless, but I’ve been startled and threatened a couple. Bold pattern, cobra neck, strikey; and they are startlingly loud. Ultimately if you stand your ground, they will play dead: roll belly up, emit a ferocious stench, and go all slack-jawed with bonus tongue lolling.
Here is a YouTube video of a person (unkindly) provoking a young hognose. This is not a nice way to treat an animal, but a good example of hognose defense display: Hognose snake playing dead - YouTube
Preferred diet: toads. Extra cool feature: hognoses can render toad toxins inert.
I’ve found that to be an effective strategy in many situations: fending off muggers, avoiding difficult conversations, getting out of Karaoke, impressing the ladies…
Ha ha ha I wish humans had a do NOT disturb display. Gary Larson’s Far Side comic “How nature says do not touch” comes to mind.
Interesting. I wouldn’t provoke a snake like that with bare fingers in a million years - wouldn’t it bite an unprotected hand under any circumstances?
A bite from a snake that size isn’t going to hurt much. I’ve been bitten by significantly larger snakes without any damage.
Oddly most cites, including .edu and .gov sites claim a hognose snake “will not bite.” In my experience, any snake may bite if tampered with, and it seems irresponsible to make such a claim. Many nonvenomous snakes have an anticoagulent in their saliva; the bleeding and risk of infection just isn’t worth playing around with. In fact, I shouldn’t have used the word harmless in my previous post. It is hard for me not to show bias in favor of the creeping things; I don’t want anyone to kill snakes on sight. Those creatures fill such an important niche both as predators and a food source.
Here is a pictorial description of a hognose snake bite (food response). As you can see, the swelling looks gruesome.
If I were the author of any cite about snakes of any variety, this is the advice I would leave my outdoor explorers with:
Snakes: stay away from the sharp end.
Same here. It is worth mentioning that all snakes do not have the same temperment. The descriptor “docile” should be thought of comparatively, meaning a docile snake is *less likely *to strike than an aggressive snake. There are no guarantees.
Do you have the notoriously foul-tempered Northern Water Snake in your region? I’ve been chewed up by those hateful creatures. Playing dead and warning strikes are *not *in their repertoire.
We have bullsnakes here and they are big and mean. More than once, I’ve offed one in our courtyard because I thought it was a rattlesnake.
I’m thinking that the person in that link got himself bitten on purpose. What a dumbass.
And then some!
Yeah, me too Northern Water Snake skin patterns share many characteristics with both Timber Rattlers and Copperheads. Good thing NWS are so prolific.
Bright, contrasting patterns seem to tell our primate brains to Run!!! Kill! And it’s hard to remember that juvenile snakes of many species are brightly patterned, and that bright, contrasting patterns that shout Leave Me Alone! are often artifacts borrowed from venomous counterparts.
Mimicry: it’s a risky gamble. Also, snakes: we need 'em.