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Malagasy Giant Hognose (Leioheterodon madagascariensis)

SPECIES:

Leioheterodon madagascariensis

SYNONYMS:

Heterodon madagascariensis DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1854
Lioheterodon madagascariensis
COMMON NAME: Madagascar Menarana Snake
COMMON NICKNAMES Puffing adder, spreading adder, false cobra, death adder.

SUBSPECIES

None

FAMILY:

Serpentes: Colubridae

DISTRIBUTION:

Madagascar, Comoro Islands

HABITAT:

Malagasy Giant Hognose snakes are found throughout the undeveloped portions of Madagascar occupying sandy soils of the short grass, mixed grass,dry and tropical forests of the island. Found frequently at both the Perinet and Berenty Reserve, Malagasy Giant Hognoses also frequent the west central coast and can be observed commonly in the Kirindy Forest near Morondavia.

As with the other Malagasy Hognoses, Giant or Checkered Hognoses may remain inactive for long periods during the rainy season coming out only to search for food. Giant Hognoses are more diurnal and are likely to be seen foraging for lizards and amphibians along sandy roadsides.

DEFINITION

A medium to heavy bodied species with males reaching up to sixt feet tail length for both males and females. The head is distinct from the body with large eyes and round pupils. Protruding supraocular scales protect the eyes from blowing dust and sand. The dorsal coloration is black from the tip of the nose to the forward portion of the body while the sides are yellow with the black creating a triangular pattern. The black flows into a checkerboard pattern at the forward portion of the body and then turns into a black and white speckled pattern posteriorly. The snake is usually yellow along the ventral surface with little or no markings.

The supralabial scales number 8 and are usually edged in black on a yellow background. There are no azygous scales and preocular scales are variable. Females are very heavy bodied and may outgrow males by one or two feet. The Malagasy Giant Hognosed snake most closely resembles the African Golds Tree Cobra (Pseudohaje goldii).

BEHAVIOR:

According to Henkel, L. madagascariensis is commonly found around human habitation. Bill Love also describes this snake as being commonly encountered along the edges of roads, usually feeding on lizard eggs. Although well suited for burrowing, L. madagascariensis is generally observed during the warmer parts of the day foraging for food. They are largely diurnal and may occur with the other two Malagasy hognosed snakes.

When threatened, the Malagasy Giant Hognosed snake is more likely to crawl away to avoid contact. If corned, these snakes will hood slightly and emit a loud hiss. It is not unusual to observe the snake raise the forward part of its body and hood. Malagasy hognosed snakes rarely bite and generally will strike in a forward motion emphasizing the strike with a loud hiss. If mishandled or restrained, the Malagasy Giant hognosed snake may bite, defensive bites are generally quick with the recipient receiving little damage. During more intense bites, the Malagasy hognosed snake may respond by chewing on the victim inflicting a more painful and bloody bite.

Although these snakes are considered opisthoglyphs and therefore have enlarged rear teeth on their maxillaries, the are not considered venemous and there have been no recorded incidents of envenomation.

CARE SHEET: GIANT

REFERENCES:

Glaw, F. & Vences,M. (1994)
A Fieldguide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of Madagascar
Vences & Glaw Verlag, Köln (ISBN 3-929449-01-3)

Henkel, Friedrich-Wilhelm and Wolfgang Schmidt. (2000)
Amphibians and Reptiles of Madagascar and the Mascarene, Seychelles and Comoro Islands, Krieger Publishing Company, Malabar Florida.

Love, Bill (1997)
Madagascar Revisited: Part Two, pp. 8-27, Reptiles Magazine

Wallach, V. (1986)
Lioheterodon madagascariensis: an addition to the snake fauna of the Comoro Islands. J. Herp. Assoc. Afr. 32: 24-25

	A typical example of a Malagasy Giant Hognose. This specimen exhibits exquisite yellow coloration. Photo by Mark O'Shea