Kansas Herpetofaunal Atlas

An adult Eastern Hog-nosed Snake from Comanche County. © Maci Loughrea.
An adult Eastern Hog-nosed Snake from Logan County. © John Kraft.
An adult Eastern Hog-nosed Snake from Ellis County, Kansas. Image © Lisa Wehrly.
Adult Eastern Hog-nosed Snake from Ellis County.  © Jacob Basler.
An adult Eastern Hog-nosed Snake from Finney County. Image © Kurt Meier?.
An adult Eastern Hog-nosed Snake from Hamilton County, Kansas. Image © Travis W. Taggart.
An adult Eastern Hog-nosed Snake from Grant County. Image © Kelly Lazar.
An adult Eastern Hog-nosed Snake from Lane County. © Tamara Mann.
REPTILIA (Reptiles) SQUAMATA (PART) (Snakes) DIPSADIDAE (Harmless Rear-Fanged Snakes)

Eastern Hog-nosed Snake
Heterodon platirhinos Latreille (in Sonnini and Latreille) 1801
hĕ-tĕr-ō-dŏn — plă-tĕ-rhī-nŏs

Conservation Status:
State: Kansas Species in Need of Conservation (SINC)
Federal: None
NatureServe State: S4 - Apparently Secure
NatureServe National: N5 - Secure
NatureServe Global: G5 - Secure
CITES: None
Diagnosis:
 HARMLESSLY VENOMOUS. Uses its venom to subdue prey, but is not dangerous to humans because a) they have an ineffective venom delivery mechanism, b) their mouths too small to gain purchase, and/or c) their venom is not adapted for causing physiological damage to mammals.
The Eastern Hog-nosed Snake is characterized by keeled scales, a divided anal scale, a sharply upturned snout, and a dark-colored belly with the underside of the tail much lighter. This snake is highly variable in color. The back, head, and tail may be yellow, brown, reddish, olive, or gray, with a series of 20- 30 dark brown or black blotches on the back and similarly colored bands on the tail. The sides of the body have two or three series of small, dark spots alternating with the blotches on the back. The belly is yellowish, gray, olive, or reddish and becomes darker toward the cloaca. The undersides of the tail and the chin are usually much lighter than the belly. Adult males have longer tails and fewer blotches on the back than females. Females grow larger than males.
Adults normally attain 51.0-76.0 cm (20-30 inches) in total length. The largest specimen from Kansas is a female (KU 221200) from Harper County with total length of 109.7 cm (43­1⁄8 inches) collected by Kevin Albright on 23 August 1992. The maximum length throughout the range is 115.6 cm (45½ inches) (Conant and Collins, 1998).
Distribution:
 This species is spottily distributed in the eastern half of Kansas but is rather well-documented along sandy regions (alluvial/riparian and dunes [and adjacent uplands] west of the Flint Hills. Pleistocene age fossil specimens are known from Meade, Rice, and McPherson counties.
(,   Museum Voucher) (,   Observation) (,   Literature Record) (,   iNat Record), (  Fossil)
Open icons are questionable records; Click on a marker to view details.
Full range depicted by light shaded red area. Export Google Earth (.kml)
  • Occurrence Summary:  
  • 429
    Records 
  • 386
    Museum Vouchers 
  • 43
    Other Observations 
Some county occurrences indicated below may be too imprecise to map above.
 County Breakdown: County Name (# occurrences):
 Allen (1); Barber (24); Barton (2); Cherokee (2); Clark (8); Comanche (11); Cowley (4); Crawford (1); Decatur (4); Doniphan (1); Douglas (9); Edwards (3); Ellis (50); Ellsworth (1); Finney (25); Ford (4); Franklin (8); Geary (4); Gove (6); Graham (2); Grant (2); Gray (2); Greenwood (1); Hamilton (34); Harper (8); Harvey (6); Haskell (2); Hodgeman (1); Johnson (2); Kearney (5); Kearny (2); Kiowa (6); Lane (1); Leavenworth (4); Logan (9); McPherson (2); Meade (33); Miami (3); Morton (1); Norton (1); Pawnee (2); Phillips (1); Pottawatomie (1); Pratt (10); Reno (24); Republic (4); Rice (3); Riley (12); Rooks (6); Russell (6); Scott (2); Sedgwick (18); Seward (9); Stafford (14); Stevens (2); Sumner (3); Trego (13); Wyandotte (4);

Fossil History:
 Pleistocene fossil specimens are known from Meade, Rice, and McPherson counties.
Fossils from the Williams Local Fauna of Rice County (Pleistocene: Illinoian) (Preston 1979, Holman 1984; Holman 1995) are assignable to this taxon.
Fossils from the Sandahl Local Fauna of McPherson County (Pleistocene: Illinoian) (Holman 1971; Preston 1979; Holman 1995) are assignable to this taxon.
Fossils from the Kanopolis Local Fauna of Ellsworth County (Pleistocene: Rancholabrean I) (Preston 1979, Holman 1972, Holman 1984; Holman 1995) are assignable to this taxon.
Fossils from the Mount Scott Local Fauna of Meade County (Pleistocene: Illinoian) (Preston 1979, Holman 1987; Holman 1995) are assignable to this genus.
Fossils from the Butler Spring Local Fauna of Meade County (Pleistocene: Illinoian) (Tihen 1962; Preston 1979; Holman 1995) are assignable to this genus.
Fossils from the Cragin Quarry Local Fauna of Meade County (Pleistocene: Sangamonian) (Hay 1917; Etheridge 1958; Etheridge 1960, Tihen 1960; Tihen 1962; Brattstrom 1967; Preston 1979; Holman 1995) are assignable to this taxon.
Natural History:
 Platt (1969, 1985) provided the most recent information on this species in central Kansas, and much of the information from Kansas is based his observations.
Eastern Hog-nosed Snakes live in widely varying habitats, from the forested areas of the Osage Cuestas in eastern Kansas west to the open prairies along the Colorado border. This snake prefers sandy areas and is most common in the central Low Plains along valleys of major rivers and in the eastern tier of counties. Most of Kansas (except along the eastern border) is not optimal habitat for this snake, and populations are probably therefore somewhat isolated. Taggart (1992) found 26 of these snakes in one season in five counties, as follows:
21 in Ellis, two in Rooks, and one each in Gove, Norton, and Trego. Fourteen were found dead on roads (killed by vehicles), five were taken alive while crossing roads, and seven were collected under rocks on sparsely vegetated hillsides.
Eastern Hog-nosed Snakes are active from late April to October at optimal air temperatures of 65- 95°F. The daily activity period and habits correspond to those of the Plains Hog-nosed Snake. Home ranges of the Eastern Hog-nosed Snake are larger than those of the western species but are poorly defined. Population density in the Eastern Hog-nosed Snake is no more than one per acre. During winter months, this snake burrows deep into loose soil or sand to avoid cold temperatures.
Mating in the Eastern Hog-nosed Snake occurs during April and May after emergence from winter inactivity. Courtship is not known. Females lay a single clutch of eggs each year; the number of eggs varies from four to 61 (Platt 1969; Fitch, 1985), with an average of 22. The eggs are deposited in late June or July in nests burrowed out by the female several centimeters below the soil or sand. Incubation requires 50- 65 days.
This species feeds primarily on frogs and toads, although it has been recorded eating salamanders. Gish (1962) reported that a specimen from Ellis County regurgitated an adult Spea bombifrons. Perry (1974) reported predation on an adult Ambystoma mavortium in Comanche County.
Occurrence Activity:
 Number of Unique Obervations (=days): 138; Range: 03 Apr to 06 Dec
Remarks:
 The earliest popular account of the Eastern Hog-nosed Snake in Kansas comes from the writings of Colt (1862) and her experiences in the ill-fated Vegetation Colony in early Allen County, Kansas. She references "blow snakes' on page 105... that "... when startled it blows its venom out upon the air, causing stupefaction and death". The earliest academic account is in Mozley (1877) who lists specimens in the University of Kansas collection from Douglas County. The earliest known specimen (KU 1727) was collected in Douglas County (no additional information) in June of 1899. A specimen of this species (AMNH 3652) exists that was likely collected in association with J. A. Allen's activities around Long Island, Kansas (Phillips County) in 1884 (see Storeria occipitomaculata account and reference to [AMNH 3380]). Burt (1933) referenced a specimen collected in Rooks County during July of 1885 and housed in the collection at the Kansas State College Museum (no longer in existence; but possibly a specimen referred to by Mozley(op cit)).
Hog-nosed Snakes are in the genus Heterodon, (= different tooth). They have an enlarged tooth on each side toward the rear of their upper jaws. The hypothesized function is to aid the ingestion (actually deflation) of toads (their preferred food). When captured, toads fill themselves up with air, making themselves much bigger (and more difficult to swallow). The enlarged teeth are not connected to a venom delivery system.
Hog-nosed (and many other 'harmless') snakes may technically produce venom in their saliva... however, they should not be considered dangerous or venomous. They lack the efficient venom delivery systems of the pit-vipers (rattlesnakes, copperheads, etc.) and their venom is of such a small quantity, w/ high prey specificity, and/or low toxicity. They are also behaviorally reluctant to bite. Nearly all envenomations result from accidents during the feeding of a pet snake, combined with hypersensitivity to the saliva on the part of the bitten person. In any case, the worst symptoms include localized swelling, slight discoloration/bruising, and the formation of small blisters.
The records from the Flint Hills east are in need of corroboration, particularly the Greenwood County specimen (KU 18115) collected in 1933. Fitzgerald and Nilon (1994) and Ahrens (1997) reported recent examples of this snake from Camp Naish in urban Wyandotte County. West of the Flint Hills this taxon is locally abundant, particularly in sandy areas, such as alluvial corridors and stabilized dune sands. These areas also support healthy populations of Bufo woodhousii and B. cognatus, the preferred food of the Eastern Hog-nosed Snake.
William L. Hoyle observed an Eastern Hog-nosed Snake in an orchard in a sandy area in Cowley county on April 30, 1933, just as it was in the act of stalking a Prairie Lizard (Sceloporus consobrinus). Damp sand was still on the snake's back and the snake's track was traced back to the entrance of a hole about six feet away, where digging disclosed the den, which was about three feet long and about 203.2 mm (8 inches) deep. The hole averaged about 76.2 mm (3 inches) in diameter (Burt and Hoyle, 1935).
The Eastern Hog-nosed Snake was listed as a Kansas Threatened species in 1987 and downlisted to SINC in 1993.
The defensive behavior of the Eastern Hog-nosed Snake resembles that of the western species except that immediate attempts to escape by crawling away or hiding the head beneath the body are not as frequent. Instead, the Eastern Hog-nosed Snake more readily spreads its "hood," hisses, and "strikes." Apparently, it engages in "playing dead" for much longer periods than the Plains Hog-nosed Snake.
Based on a captive specimen, Snider and Bowler (1992) reported a maximum longevity for this snake of seven years, eight months, and fifteen days.
Bibliography:
1801 Latreille, Pierre Andr. XXII Genre. Hétérodon, Heterodon. Pages 32-37 in Sonnini and Latreille, Histoire Naturelle des Reptiles avec figures dessinées d’après nature, Vol. 4: Chez Deterville, Paris, France.. pp.
Contains the original description of Heterodon platirhinos page 32. In French.
1862 Colt, Miriam. D. Went to Kansas: Being a thrilling account of an ill-fated expedition to that fairy land, and its sad results; Together with a sketch of the life of the author, and how the world goes with her. L. Ingalls and Company, Watertown. 294pp.
Based on the personal diaries of Miriam Colt. The accounts written as she and her family traveled from New York to Kansas in 1856 to join the Vegetarian Society settlement (on the Neosho River near present day Humboldt) and their challenges once they arrived. There are mentions of "rattlesnakes" (Timber Rattlesnakes as described [though there are no present day records from the Neosho River drainage in Kansas]), "copperheads",  "blow snakes" (Eastern Hog-nosed Snakes), "black snakes" (Western Ratsnakes), chorusing frogs ("soprano peeper, up to the bass "grout"), and "spotted lizards". 
1877 Mozley, Annie E. List of Kansas snakes in the museum of the Kansas State University. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 6():34-35
First attempt to compile a complete list of snakes reported from Kansas. Most specimens were from Douglas and Wallace counties.
Contains obvious identification/locality errors Thamnophis marcianus (Douglas County) and Heterodon simus (Wallace County).
Neroida holbrookii = Nerodia rhombifer.
Use of the name 'Kansas State University' actually refers to The University of Kansas where Annie E. (Mozley)Boddington received her BS @ KU in 1878 (see also Gloyd 1928).
1880 Cragin, Francis W. A preliminary catalogue of Kansas reptiles and batrachians Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 7():112-123
Also listed the Scarlet Snake (Cemophora coccinea) [=Ophibolus doliatus var. coccineus] and Red Salamander (Pseudotriton ruber) [=Spelerpes ruber] from Kansas.
1903 Branson, Edwin B. Snakes of Kansas Thesis. University of Kansas, Lawrence. 41pp.
Describes all snake species reported from Kansas, considering doubtful those species that the author has not encountered himself. This list contains twenty-nine valid species. Collections examined included State University (KU), State House, Washburn College (WU), Ottawa University, State Normal School (ESU), State Agricultural College (KSU), and several high schools in Kansas. Examined the material available to Mozley (1878) and determined that of the thirty-three species listed, only twenty-three species were valid currently. And that Cragin's (1880) list of thirty-two species included eight specimens on the authority of Mozley that this author could not verify in any collection.
1904 Branson, Edwin B. Snakes of Kansas. University of Kansas Science Bulletin 2(13):353-430
1917 Wooster, Lyman D. Nature Study Bulletin Kansas State Printing Plant, Topeka, Kansas.. 63pp.
1927 Burt, Charles E. An annotated list of the amphibians and reptiles of Riley County, Kansas. Occasional Papers of the Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan (189):12
Accounts on forty species known from the vicinity of Manhattan, Riley County, Kansas. There have been several scientific names changes since publication, which is understandable... however, some usages cannot be explained by subsequent taxonomic reappraisals(e.g.  Gastrophryne carolinensis for Gastrophryne olivacea). The writer lists Eumeces (=Plestiodon) obsoletus and E. guttulatus yet correctly reasoning that the latter is the young of the former. Within the account of Tantilla gracilis (a common form) the writer mentions that T. nigriceps was reported from Riley County by Branson (1904) but that the specimens at Kansas State were absent at the time of publication. The Prairie Rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis) was first reported from Riley County by Branson (1904) and is reported by the writer based on a specimen in the museum at Kansas State University by Professor E. A. Popenoe. The Prairie Rattlesnake is not currently native to Riley County, and closest reliable localities are 150 to the west.
1928 Ortenburger, Arthur I. The whip snakes and racers: Genera Masticophis and Coluber. Memiors of the University of Michigan Museum (1):1-247
1929 Taylor, Edward H. A revised checklist of the snakes of Kansas. University of Kansas Science Bulletin 19(5):53-62
1929 Taylor, Edward H. List of reptiles and batrachians of Morton County, Kansas, reporting species new to the state fauna. University of Kansas Science Bulletin 19(6):63-65
Annotated listing of 25 species discovered in southwest Morton County just prior to the Dust Bowl that wreaked havoc on the region and the subsequent creation of the Cimarron National Grassland. Of special note are Heterodon platirhinos, Thamnophis marcianus, and Anaxyrus debilis (all of which have not been found in the area since).
1932 Gloyd, Howard K. The herpetological fauna of the Pigeon Lake Region, Miami County, Kansas. Papers of the Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan 15():389-408
First record of Notophthalmus viridescens from Kansas. Second record (after the type locality) of Pseudacris crucifer from Kansas.
1933 Burt, Charles E. Some distributional and ecological records of Kansas reptiles. Transactions of the Academy of Science St. Louis 26():186-208
1934 Brennan, Lawrence A. A check list of the amphibians and reptiles of Ellis County, Kansas. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 37():189-191
1934 Burt, Charles E. and W. L. Hoyle. Additional records of the reptiles of the central prairie region of the United States. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 37():193-216
1935 Brennan, Lawrence A. Notes on the Distribution of Amphibia and Reptilia of Ellis County, Kansas. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. 114pp.
1935 Burt, Charles E. Further records of the ecology and distribution of amphibians and reptiles in the middle west. American Midland Naturalist 16(3):311-366
1936 Hurd, Myron Alec. The reptiles of Cherokee County, Kansas. Thesis. Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg, Kansas. 103pp.
Under the supervision of thesis adviser Harry H. Hall. Report on 38 species (8 turtles, 7 lizards, and 23 snakes)... most unsubstantiated. Interesting inclusion are Crotalus horridus, Crotalus viridis, Kinosternon subrubrum, Opheodrys vernalis, and Phrynosoma cornutum.
1936 Brumwell, Malcolm J. Distributional records of the reptilia and amphibians of Kansas. Privately printed, . 22pp.
County dot maps of the Kansas herpetofauna. This work has been attributed to have been written around 1933, but that may be in error. 
Hypsiglena jani was not known from Kansas until Claude W. Hibbard collected three specimens on the Stevenson Ranch in north-central Clark County (above Clark State Lake) during June 1936 (Hibbard, 1937). Brumwell plotted this locality, which leads me to believe that the 1936 would have been the earliest date this manuscript could have been written.
1937 Grant, Chapman. Herpetological notes from Central Kansas. American Midland Naturalist 18(3):370-372
1937 Brennan, Lawrence A. A study of the habitat of reptiles and amphibians of Ellis County, Kansas. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 40():341-347
1945 Bugbee, R. E. A note on the mortality of snakes on highways in western Kansas. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 47():373-374
1947 Hall, Henry H. and Hobart M. Smith. Selected records of reptiles and amphibians from southeastern Kansas Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 49(4):447-454
Report on certain Kansas specimens housed in the collection at what is now Pittsburg State University. Included are several species of dubious status today, including Cryptobranchus alleganiensis from the Neosho and Spring rivers (the only specimens from those significant drainages ever documented), Ambystoma maculatum from just north of Pittsburg, Crawford County, Heterodon nasicus from Crawford County, Opheodrys vernalis from Crawford County, Sonora episcopa from Crawford County, Agkistrodon piscivorus from Cherokee County, Crotalus atrox from Crawford County, and Crotalus viridis from Crawford County. They report several significant range extensions including Kinosternon flavescens from Turkey Creek in southeast Cherokee County, Graptemys geographica from just north of Pittsburg, Crotaphytus collaris from near Columbus, Cherokee County, Sceloporus consobrinus from just north of Pittsburg, Phrynosoma cornutum from Cherokee and Crawford counties, Heterodon platirhinos from Cherokee and Crawford counties, Haldea striatula from Crawford County, Sistrurus tergeminus from Crawford County, and a 402 lb Macrochelys temminckii in Cherokee County from just east of Chetopa (Labette County). They allude to the potential for Anaxyrus fowleri to occur in southeast Kansas and for native populations of Crotalus atrox in south central Kansas (in part from the disclosure that John R. Breukelman [then of ESU] had obtained three specimens in Woods County Oklahoma, 3/4 of a mile south of the Kansas line). None of the specimens the paper was based on, exist today.
1950 Smith, Hobart M. Handbook of Amphibians and Reptiles of Kansas. University of Kansas, Museum of Natural History, Miscellaneous Publication (2):336
The first modern herpetology of Kansas. Includes locality dot maps within individual species accounts. Reports 96 species from Kansas (table and text say 97 on p. 10) and 13 "probable but unverified" species and subspecies.
1951 Brumwell, Malcolm J. An ecological survey of the Fort Leavenworth Military Reservation American Midland Naturalist 45(1):187-231
Published posthumously. Lieutenant Brumwell died December 14, 1941, as a result of injuries incurred during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. This paper is a condensed version of his thesis for the Master's degree.
1952 Edgren, Richard A. Biogeographical and behavioral considerations of the snakes of the genus Heterodon. Dissertation. Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois. 232pp.
1952 Edgren, Richard A. Geographic variability in the Common Hognose Snake, Heterodon platyrhinos Latreille. Systematic Zoology 1(4):184
1956 Smith, Hobart M. Handbook of Amphibians and Reptiles of Kansas. Second edition. University of Kansas Museum of Natural History Miscellaneous Publication (9):1-356
Hobart M. Smith's updated second edition of his first (1950) modern herpetology of Kansas. Includes locality dot maps within individual species accounts. Reports 96 species from Kansas (table says 97 on p. 10; text says 98 on p. 10) and 11 "probable but unverified" species and subspecies. The second edition has updated taxonomy, added Plestiodon laticeps, and removed Eurycea tynerensis.
1956 Loomis, Richard B. The chigger mites of Kansas (Acarina, Trombiculidae). University of Kansas Science Bulletin 37():1195-1443
Examined 2,628 Kansas reptiles of 48 species consisting of 27 turtles of 4 species, 1,736 lizards of 12 species and 892 snakes of 32 species for chiggers. Eleven species of chiggers were recovered from reptiles.
For amphibians, 1188 individuals of 21 species were examined. Five species of chigger mite were recovered from amphibians.
1961 Edgren, Richard A. A simplified method for analysis of clines; Geographic variation in the hognose snake Heterodon platyrhinos Latreille. Copeia 1961(2):125-132
1962 Gish, Charles D. The Herpetofauna of Ellis County, Kansas. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. 34pp.
1967 Choate, Jerry R. Wildlife in the Wakarusa Watershed of Northeastern Kansas. Kansas Biological Survey, Lawrence. 46pp.
1967 Brattstrom, Bayard H. A succession of Pliocene and Pleistocene snake fauna from the High Plains of the United States. Copeia 1967(1):188-202
An examination (or in many cases, a re-examination) of 11,000 accumulated skeletal elements from fossil deposits collected at various sites and ranging in age from Lower Pliocene to the Recent.
1969 Platt, Dwight R. Natural history of the hognose snakes Heterodon platyrhinos and Heterodon nasicus University of Kansas, Museum of Natural History 18(4):253-420
1970 Fitch, Henry S. Reproductive cycles in lizards and snakes. University of Kansas Museum of Natural History Miscellaneous Publication (52):1-247
1971 Holman, J. Alan. Herpetofauna of the sandahl local fauna (Pleistocene: Illinoian) of Kansas. Contributions from the Museum of Paleontology, University of Michigan 23(22):349-355
1973 Kroll, James C. Comparative physiological ecology of Eastern and Western Hognose Snakes (Heterodon platyrhinos and H. nasicus). Dissertation. Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas.. 244pp.
1974 Eshelman, Ralph E. Geology and paleontology of the early Pleistocene Belleville Formation of north central Kansas. Dissertation. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan. 137pp.
1974 Collins, Joseph T. Amphibians and Reptiles in Kansas University of Kansas Museum of Natural History Public Education Series (1):283 pp
Joseph T. Collins first Kansas herpetology. <Need to get species total and principal differences with previous 'version' (= Smith 1956)>
1974 Perry, Janice. KHS members take trip to southwest Kansas. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (3):2-3
Account of a search for Crotalus atrox and other species discovered in Comanche County.
1974 Karns, Daryl, Ray E. Ashton, Jr., and Thomas Swearingen. Illustrated Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles in Kansas: An Identification Manual. University of Kansas Publications Museum of Natural History Public Education Series(2):viii + 18
1975 Rundquist, Eric M. Amphibians and Reptiles of Kingman County, Kansas. Privately Printed, Lawrence, Kansas. 3pp.
Short accounts for twenty-nine recognized amphibians and reptiles from Kingman County, Kansas. With habitat descriptions and for some species, estimates of population density.
1975 Eshelman, Ralph E. Geology and paleontology of the early Pleistocene (late Blancan) White Rock fauna from northcentral Kansas. University of Michigan Museum of Palenontology, Papers on Paleontology. (13):60
1976 Rundquist, Eric M. Field checklist (of) amphibians and reptiles of Kansas. Kansas Herpetological Society, Lawrence. pp.
1977 Perry, Janice. Kansas herps needed. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (18):2-3
List of Kansas amphibians and reptiles desired for the SSAR/HL meeting to be held 7-13 August 1977.
1978 Curl, Richard L. Final Environmental Statement: Milford Lake Kansas operation and maintenance. US Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City District. 158pp.
Notable mentions: Spotted Salamander, Smooth Green Snake
1979 Martin, Larry D. Survey of fossil vertebrates from east-central Kansas: Kansas River bank stabilization study. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City District. 55pp.
1979 Gray, Peter and Eddie Stegall. A field trip to the Red Hills. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (29):6-8
1979 Holman, J. Alan. Herpetofauna of the Nash local fauna (Pleistocene: Aftonian) of Kansas. Copeia 1979(4):747-749
1980 Clarke, Robert F. Herptiles and fishes of the western Arkansas River in Kansas. United States Army Corps of Engineers, Albuquerque, New Mexico. 55pp.
A summary of known information on the amphibian, reptile, and fish faunas of the Arkansas River above Great Bend. The report details associated field activities for procuring fish, however no new surveys for amphibians and reptiles were undertaken. Information on herps from Finney County was provided by Michael Rush (FHSU) and thus made available before the publication of his thesis (Rush, 1981). The western Arkansas River drainage had experienced little attention by herpetologists before this study, and the species accounts reflect that paucity of data. Additionally, the report omits several older records (e.g. for Anaxyrus debilis, Thamnophis cyrtopsis, and Lampropeltis calligaster) from the westernmost reaches of the Arkansas River drainage in Kansas.
1981 Blem, Charles R. Heterodon platyrhinos. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles (282):1-2
1981 Collins, Joseph T. New records of fishes, amphibians, and reptiles in Kansas for 1980. Technical Publication of the State Biological Survery of Kansas 10():7-19
1981 Eshelman, Ralph E. and Claude W. Hibbard. Nash Local Fauna (Pleistocene: Aftonian) of Meade County, Kansas. Contributions from the Museum of Paleontology, The University of Michigan 25(16):317-326
1982 Collins, Joseph T. Amphibians and Reptiles in Kansas. 2nd edition. University of Kansas Museum of Natural History Public Education Series (8):
Joseph T. Collins second Kansas herpetology. <Need to get species total and principal differences with previous 'version' (= Collins 1974)>
1983 Simmons, John E. Fan fare. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (54):16-18
1983 Platt, Dwight R. Heterodon. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles (315):1-2
1983 Collins, Joseph T. New records of fishes, amphibians, and reptiles in Kansas for 1982 . Technical Publication of the State Biological Survey of Kansas 13():9-21
1983 Axtell, Ralph W. Range portrayal and reality: Heterodon platyrhinos distribution on the High Plains of Texas and Oklahoma. Journal of Herpetology 17(2):191-193
1984 Holman, J. Alan. Herpetofaunas of the Duck Creek and Williams Local Faunas (Pleistocene: Illinoian) of Kansas. Pages 20-38 in Contributions in Quaternary Vertebrate Paleontology: A Volume in Memorial to John E. Guilday. Special Publication Number 8. Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. pp.
1984 Brown, Kenneth L. Pomona: A plains village variant in eastern Kansas and western Missouri. Dissertation. University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas. 519pp.
1984 Heinrich, Mark L. Herpetofauna of the Konza Prairie Research Natural Area in the Flint Hills region of Kansas with respect to habitat selection. Thesis. Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas. 57pp.
1984 Secor, Stephen M. and Charles C. Carpenter. Distribution maps of Oklahoma reptiles. Oklahoma Herpetological Society Special Publication (3):1-57
1984 Collins, Joseph T. New records of fishes, amphibians, and reptiles in Kansas for 1983. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (56):15-26
Invalidated the specimens of Thamnophis sirtalis from Hamilton County (reidentified as T. cyrtopsis; KU 2088) and Wallace County mapped in Collins, 1982.
1984 Schwarting, Nancy. KHS field trip, May 1984. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (57):3-4
1984 Collins, Joseph T. New records of fishes, amphibians and reptiles in Kansas for 1984. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (58):14-20
1985 Capron, Marty B. Thunder snakes, blow vipers, and others. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (60):9-10
1985 Lynch, John D. Annotated checklist of the amphibians and reptiles of Nebraska. Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Science 13():33-57
1986 Layher, William G., Ken L. Brunson, J.Schaefer, Marvin D. Schwilling, and R. D. Wood. Summary of nongame task force actions relative to developing three species lists: Species in Need of Conservation, Threatened, and Endangered. Kansas Fish and Game Commission, Pratt. 27pp.
1986 Collins, Joseph T. New records of amphibians and reptiles in Kansas for 1986. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (66):9-16
1988 Busby, William H. The Kansas Natural Heritage Program: Taking stock of Kansas' natural heritage. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (71):9-12
1988 Nulton, Michael T. and Michael S. Rush. New county records of amphibians and reptiles in Gray County, Kansas. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (74):10-12
1989 Platt, Dwight R. Seasonal activity of snakes on a sand prairie. Pages 251-254 in Proceedings of the 11th North American Prairie Conference University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln. pp.
1989 Collins, Joseph T. New records of amphibians and reptiles in Kansas for 1988. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (75):15-18
1989 Simmons, John E. Endangered and threatened in Kansas. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (75):4-5
1989 Capron, Marty B. Threatened and endangered: A critique of the Kansas list. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (76):14-15
1989 Brunson, Ken. More on the Kansas endangered and threatened species list. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (77):17-19
1989 Collins, Joseph T. New records of amphibians and reptiles in Kansas for 1989. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (78):16-21
1990 Atkinson, John H. Final Regulatory Report and Environmental Impact Statement: Commercial dredging activities on the Kansas River, Kansas. US Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City District. 368pp.
1990 Collins, Joseph T. Maximum size records for Kansas amphibians and reptiles. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (81):13-17
1991 Conant, Roger and Joseph T. Collins. Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America. 3rd ed. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts. pp.
1991 Collins, Joseph T. and Suzanne L. Collins. Reptiles and Amphibians of the Cimarron National Grasslands, Morton County, Kansas. U. S. Forest Service, Elkhart, Kansas. 60pp.
1991 Collins, Joseph T. New records of amphibians and reptiles in Kansas for 1990. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (83):7-13
1992 Taggart, Travis W. Observations on Kansas amphibians and reptiles Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (88):13-15
1992 Lokke, John L. Some thoughts on the status of the Western Fox Snake (Elaphe vulpina) in southeast Nebraska, southwest Iowa, northwest Missouri, and northeast Kansas Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (89):14-16
1992 Rundquist, Eric M. Kansas endangered, threatened, and SINC species. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (91):
1992 Taggart, Travis W. KHS field trips. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (91):3
1992 Taggart, Travis W. Heterodon platirhinos. Geographic distribution. Herpetological Review 23():91
1993 Freeman, Craig C. and William H. Busby. A survey for endangered and threatened species on the Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant, Johnson County, Kansas. Report No. 54. Kansas Biological Survey, Lawrence. 115pp.
1993 Collins, Joseph T. and Suzanne L. Collins. Amphibians and Reptiles in Kansas. Third Edition. University Press of Kansas, Lawrence, Lawrence. 397pp.
Joseph T. Collins third Kansas herpetology. <Need to get species total and principal differences with previous 'version' (= Collins 1982)>
1993 Fitch, Henry S. Relative abundance of snakes in Kansas. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 96(3/4):213-224
1994 Fitzgerald, Eve C. and Charles Nilon. Classification of habitats for endangered and threatened species in Wyandotte County, Kansas Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, Pratt, Kansas. 98pp.
1994 Collins, Joseph T. New records of amphibians and reptiles in Kansas for 1993. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (97):15-19
1995 Holman, J. Alan. Pleistocene Amphibians and Reptiles. Oxford University Press, New York. 243pp.
1995 Bartlett, R. Nature's bluffers: The American hognose snakes. Reptiles 3(4):40-46
1995 Parmley, Dennis and J. Alan Holman. Hemphillian (Late Miocene) snakes from Nebraska, with comments on Arikareean through Blancan Snakes of midcontinental North America. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 15(1):79-95
1996 Rundquist, Eric M. Results of the eighth annual KHS herp counts Held 1 April-31 May 1996. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (104):6-17
1996 Rakestraw, J. Spring herp counts: A Kansas tradition. Reptile & Amphibian Magazine (March-April):75-80
1996 Willimon, Kirie and Joseph T. Collins. Geographic Distribution. Heterodon platirhinos. Herpetological Review 27(2):88
1997 Ahrens, John. Amphibian and reptile distributions in urban riparian areas. Thesis. University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri. 70pp.
1997 Collins, Joseph T. New records of amphibians and reptiles in Kansas for 1996. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (107):14-16
1997 Rundquist, Eric M. Results of the ninth annual KHS herp counts held 1 April-31 May 1997. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (108):12-17
1998 Conant, Roger and Joseph T. Collins. Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America. 3rd ed, expanded. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts. pp.
1998 Powell, Robert, Joseph T Collins, and Errol D Hooper Jr. A Key to Amphibians & Reptiles of the Continental United States and Canada. Univ Press of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas. 131pp.
1998 Gamble, Jerre. Marais des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plan U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Hartford, Kansas. 91pp.
1999 Rundquist, Eric M. Kansas Herpetological Society herp counts: A 10 year summary and evaluation. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (115):42962
2000 Taggart, Travis W. Biogeographic analysis of the reptiles (Squamata) in Ellis County, Kansas. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (121):7-16
2001 Schmidt, Curtis J. The amphibians, turtles, and reptiles of the Smoky Valley Ranch, Logan County, Kansas. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (124):9-11
2001 Taggart, Travis W. Results of the KHS spring field trip west. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (125):10
2001 Rundquist, Eric M. Results of the thirteenth annual KHS herp counts for 2001, held 1 April-30 June. Kansas Herpetological Society Newsletter (125):13-16
2001 Smith, Hobart M. Searching for herps in Mexico in the 1930s - 1. Bulletin of the Chicago Herpetological Society 36(1):1-17
Discusses the influence of Howard K. Gloyd on him at Kansas State University and trips to the Marias des Cygnes River to find frogs.
2001 Edgren, Richard A. Heterodon to 1950, an historical assessment. Bulletin of the Chicago Herpetological Society 36(6):121-123
2002 Kingsbury, Bruce and Joanna Gibson. Habitat Management Guidelines for Amphibians and Reptiles of the Midwest. Publication of Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, Address not given. 152pp.
2002 Fogell, Daniel D. Occurrence and relative abundance of amphibians and reptiles at Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Homestead National Monument of America, and Pipestone National Monument within the Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network. Interim Report. National Park Service, Washington, D.C.. 6pp.
2003 Suleiman, G. Fort Riley herpetofaunal count. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (5):11-12
2003 Taggart, Travis W. Kansas Herpetological Society 2003 spring field trip. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (5):3-4
2003 Platt, Dwight R. Lizards and snakes (Order Squamata) of Harvey County, Kansas. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (6):13-20
2004 Schmidt, Curtis J. Natural history and status of the exploited Prairie Rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis) in western Kansas and a herpetofaunal inventory of the Smoky Valley Ranch, Logan County, Kansas. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. pp.
2004 Delisle, Jennifer M. and William H. Busby. Biological inventory for vertebrates at Fort Larned National Historic Site of the southern plains network. Natural Heritage Inventory, Kansas Biological Survey, Lawrence. 61pp.
2004 Taggart, Travis W. Kansas Herpetological Society 2004 spring field trip. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (9):2
2005 Brunson, Ken. Kansas species in need of conservation (SINC). Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, Pratt, Kansas. 71pp.
2006 Taggart, Travis W. Distribution and status of Kansas herpetofauna in need of information. State Wildlife Grant T7. Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, Pratt. vii + 106pp.
2007 Taggart, Travis W., Joseph T. Collins, and Curtis J. Schmidt. Estimates of amphibian, reptile, and turtle mortality if Phostoxin is applied to 10,000 acres of prairie dog burrows in Logan County, Kansas. Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, Pratt. 5pp.
2008 Industrial Economics, Incorporated. Cherokee County: Restoration Plan / Environmental Assessment. Prepared for: US Department of the Interior, US Fish and Wildlife Service. Industrial Economics, Incorporated, Cambridge, MA. 138pp.
2008 Taggart, Travis W. KHS 2008 spring field trip. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (25):2-3
2010 Collins, Joseph T., Suzanne L. Collins, and Travis W. Taggart. Amphibians, Reptiles, and Turtles of Kansas Eagle Mountain Publishing., Provo, Utah. 400pp.
Joseph T. Collins fourth Kansas herpetology. <Need to get species total and principal differences with previous 'version' (= Collins 1993)>
2010 Murrow, Daniel G. Kansas Herpetological Society spring field trip. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (33):2-3
2011 Collins, Joseph T., Suzanne L. Collins, and Travis W. Taggart. Amphibians, Reptiles, and Turtles of the Cimarron National Grassland, Kansas. Second (Revised) Edition. U. S. Forest Service, . pp.
2011 Taggart, Travis W. Kansas Herpetological Society 2011 spring field trip to beheld in Chautauqua County. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (37):5-7
2011 Taggart, Travis W. and Daniel Murrow. KHS to conduct summer field trip to western Kansas. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (38):5
2011 Murrow, Daniel G. Geographic Distribution: Heterodon platirhinos (Eastern Hognose Snake) Kansas. Journal of Kansas Herpetology (38):7
2011 Taggart, Travis W. Results of the Kansas Herpetological Society 2011 Summer Field Trip to Scott State Park Journal of Kansas Herpetology (39):2
2012 Rohweder, Megan R. Spatial conservation prioritization of Kansas for terrestrial vertebrates. Thesis. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. 151pp.
2012 Powell, Robert, Joseph T Collins, and Errol D Hooper Jr. Key to the Herpetofauna of the Continental United States and Canada: Second Edition, Revised and Updated. Univ Press of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas. 152pp.
2013 Taggart, Travis W. KHS 2012 Summer Field Trip to Meade County State Park. Collinsorum 2(3/4):3
2014 Taggart, Travis W. Recent scientific and standard English name changes effecting the Kansas herpetofauna. Collinsorum 3(2-4):9-10
2015 Rohweder, Megan R. Kansas Wildlife Action Plan. Ecological Services Section, Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism in cooperation with the Kansas Biological Survey. 176pp.
2015 Taggart, Travis W. Spring Field Trip to the Greenhorn Limestone of Russell County. Collinsorum 4(3):2
2015 Taggart, Travis W. Summer Field Trip In The Harvey County Sandhills. Collinsorum 4(3):3
2016 Powell, Robert, Roger Conant, and Joseph T. Collins. Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Boston. 494pp.
2016 Taggart, Travis W. Results of the KHS ‘Fall’ field trip to Barber County. Collinsorum 5(2-3):6-7
2017 Crother, Brian I. (editor) Scientific and Standard English Names of Amphibians and Reptiles of North America North of Mexico, with Comments Regarding Confidence in Our Understanding. Eighth edition. Herpetological Circulars (43):1-102
2019 Powell, Robert, Joseph T Collins, and Errol D Hooper Jr. Key to the Herpetofauna of the Continental United States and Canada. Third Edition. Univ Press of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas. 192pp.
2020 Daniel, Richard E. and Brian S. Edmond. Atlas of Missouri Amphibians and Reptiles for 2019. Privately printed, Columbia, Missouri. 86pp.
2020 Riedle, J. Daren. Revisiting Kansas Herpetological Society field trip and Herp Count data: Distributional patterns and trend data of Kansas amphibians and reptiles. Collinsorum 9(1):7-16
2020 Fischer, Annie. Species Profile: Hognose Snakes. Kansas Wildlife and Parks Magazine July-August():44
2021 Taggart, Travis W and Sarah L Taggart. Herp Count: Seward County: KHS-2020-13. Collinsorum 9(3):13
2021 Taggart, Travis W and Sarah L Taggart. Herp Count: Comanche County: KHS-2020-15. Collinsorum 9(3):13-14
2021 Schmidt, Curtis J. Herp Count: Ellis County: KHS-2020-32. Collinsorum 9(3):16
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Travis W. Taggart © 1999-2025 — w/ Sternberg Museum of Natural History, Fort Hays State University