The Eastern Hog-Nosed Snake is one of four snakes in Texas with the unique, upturned “hog” snout. This shape is beneficial to the snake as it burrows under leaves and dirt to catch toads, its main food source. Eastern Hog-Nosed Snakes are considered non-venomous, although they do have teeth in the rear of their mouths. These teeth are used to kill prey, but are too far back in the snake’s mouth to be used for defense. This makes Eastern Hog-Nosed Snakes harmless to humans. Another interesting trait of this snake is its “play dead” defense. It is known to flip onto its back, or hide its head under a coiled tail to avoid predators.