Here is your legit (April Fool's Day is over) animal trixter fact of the day. My favorite reptilian trickster is the hognose snake. These guys have TWO tricks to avoid predators. They will pretend to be cobras by flattening their bodies near their heads while hissing and striking (but nearly always missing and stopping short of actually biting anything). They've earned the nickname "puff adder" for this performance, but they are harmless, unlike the actual snake that bears that name. If the cobra act doesn't work, they roll on their backs and play dead. They even emit a foul musk, poop a little, and let their tongues hang out of their mouths, sometimes accompanied by small droplets of blood. I have heard that you can stick your finger in their mouth when they are playing dead and they will not bite you. Anyone want to try it? If they are rolled upright while in this state, they will often roll back as if insisting they really are dead. It has been observed that the snake, while appearing to be dead, will still watch the threat that caused the death pose. The snake will 'resurrect' sooner if the threat is looking away from it than if the threat is looking at the snake. #aprilfools #hognosesnake #natureclub #snakes

Posted by Mel Grosvenor at 2021-04-02 11:44:50 UTC