The common name for Simus is the "Southern Hognose Snake". It has a thick body and sharply upturned, pointed snout. Coloration is light yellowish-brown and may be tinged with orange-red, with dark blotches on the back and smaller blotches on the sides. A High red phase can be found in north Florida. The underside of the tail and the ventor is mottled in a sandy gray color. Juveniles are similar to the adults but may have a darker gray mottled pattern on their belly.
Ten Facts about Southern Hognose Snake
- They mostly founds in Upland scrub/pine/sandhills and pasture land.
- It feeds mainly on spadefoot, southern, and oak toads.
- It lays eggs. Breeding takes place between April and August.
- They lay between 6-14 whitish, thin-shelled, leathery eggs, which hatch in 55-60 days.
- Snakes that reach about 24 inches in length.
- Found in scattered locations in South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.
- Southern hognose snakes are active strictly by day and are often seen on warm mornings in the spring and fall.
- When threaten they will even play dead.
- They also eaten by other snakes, Dogs, wild cats, foxes.
- When confronted, hognose snakes often put on an elaborate threat display: they hiss, spread the skin around their head and neck (like a cobra), and feign striking.
