DEEP: Found snake ‘not dangerous’

HIGGANUM — A snake spotted by a resident in Higganum on Wednesday is not dangerous, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s Wildlife Division said.

The resident shared a photo of what appeared to be a small, or baby, snake on Twitter and wondered what kind of snake it was, fearing that “where there’s a baby there must be a mother close by.” The snake was seen in the Village of Higganum.

DEEP’s wildlife division confirmed the snake was an eastern hog-nose snake.

“They are not dangerous, it looks that way to scare away predators,” DEEP’s spokesman Chris Collibee said on behalf of the Wildlife Division.

“Where this is one, there isn’t necessarily more,” Collibee added. “They are very helpful to have around and eat lots of toads, frogs and salamanders.

DEEP’s page devoted to eastern hog-nose snakes said they can be identified by their medium-size, stout build. The snake has an upturned scale at the tip of its head, giving it the appearance of an upturned nose.

The snake is typically brown or olive green, but some have vivid banding of black alternating with brick red or yellow. The eastern hog-nose snake tends to have a short tail. The length of an adult is usually between 530 and 820 millimeters.

Records show that the species has declined in more developed parts of the state, the DEEP said. They are mostly found in very low population levels in comparison to other snakes.

The eastern hog-nose snake is a “special concern species” in Connecticut; possession of one is limited to a single snake.