This is fantastic news, but the work is not done. The USFWS is currently accepting public comments on this proposed rule. Your voice is crucial to ensure this protection is finalized. Save The Snakes is calling on all our supporters to submit a comment before the deadline of October 28, 2025, and help secure a future for this vital part of the longleaf pine ecosystem.

Why the Southern Hognose Snake Needs Protection

The Southern Hognose Snake is a small, harmless snake easily recognizable by its upturned, pig-like snout, which it uses to burrow in the sandy soils of its habitat. It’s also famous for its dramatic defense mechanism: when threatened, it will flatten its neck before ultimately rolling over and “playing dead”, complete with a lolling tongue and foul odor.

Despite these unique survival tactics, the species is declining rapidly. Once distributed widely across the Coastal Plain of the southeastern U.S., its populations have been decimated by a combination of severe threats:

• Habitat Destruction: The snake is critically dependent on the longleaf pine savanna ecosystem, which has been drastically reduced due to conversion for agriculture and development.
• Road Mortality: As a fossorial (burrowing) species, it frequently crosses roads and suffers high rates of death from vehicles.
• Climate Change & Invasive Species: Increased severe weather, changes in wildfire regimes, and the spread of invasive species like the Red Imported Fire Ant further threaten its vulnerable populations.

The USFWS’s proposed Threatened status determination is warranted, meaning the agency recognizes the snake is likely to become endangered in the near future. This proposed listing would implement protective regulations essential for its survival.

How You Can Help

Your comment, no matter how brief, demonstrates widespread public support for the listing and strengthens the USFWS’s rationale for protection. Please follow the steps below to make your voice heard before the October 28, 2025 deadline.

When you submit your comment, you can use a version of the following brief statement:

1. Go to the Federal eRulemaking Portal: Navigate to the official government docket page: Comment on the Proposed Rule

2. Submit Your Comment:

• Click the “Comment” button.
• In the comment box, paste or type the suggested comment (or write your own statement of support).
  • “I fully support the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s proposed rule to list the Southern Hognose Snake (Heterodon simus) as a Threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. The threats of habitat loss and road mortality, as detailed in the proposal, make this action critical for the survival and recovery of this unique reptile and the longleaf pine ecosystem it represents.”
• Optional: Briefly mention why you support it (e.g., habitat loss, biodiversity conservation, unique role in the ecosystem, etc.).

By taking action today, you are helping to ensure the Southern Hognose Snake receives the critical protections necessary to recover from the brink of extinction. Thank you for being a vital part of the Save The Snakes movement!

Official Comment of Save The Snakes on the Listing of the Southern Hognose Snake – Submitted to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on October 22, 2025:

Save The Snakes, an organization dedicated to snake conservation and human-snake conflict mitigation, strongly supports the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s proposed rule to list the Southern Hognose Snake (Heterodon simus) as a Threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.

We believe this listing is critically warranted and must be finalized based on the following established threats:

1. Catastrophic Habitat Loss: The longleaf pine savanna, essential to the Southern Hognose Snake, has been rapidly lost and fragmented due to development and agriculture, leading to isolated and unsustainable populations.
2. High Road Mortality: As a fossorial species that frequently crosses open ground, the snake is highly vulnerable to vehicle strikes, which contributes to significant, unsustainable population decline.
3. Need for 4(d) Protections: We support the proposed Section 4(d) rule, which is necessary to prevent overutilization and ensure that beneficial habitat management activities, such as prescribed fire, can continue.

Given the severity of these threats, the Southern Hognose Snake is highly likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future. We urge the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to finalize this proposed rule promptly to ensure the survival and recovery of this unique reptile.

Respectfully,
Michael Starkey
Save The Snakes Founder & Executive Director
contact@savethesnakes.org