Species Name (EN):
Western Hog-nosed Snake
Species Name (LA):
Heterodon nasicus
Patient Status:
Educational Animal
Elliott is a Western Hog-nosed Snake who was purchased from a breeder in 2018 as a two-year-old snake. He was kept as a pet for about six months, but Elliott’s owner was concerned that he wasn’t happy in her house; she reached out to the Wildlife Center to see if he could be an education ambassador. Since Western Hog-nosed snakes are not native to Virginia, and because Elliott was bred in captivity, he could never be released to the wild.
Because Western Hog-nosed Snakes naturally live in the dry prairies and plains of the central United States – the region that many Americans associate with cowboys – this little hog-nosed snake was named after Sam Elliott, an actor who is well-known for his many roles as the classic American cowboy.