Govind Tekale
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has proposed listing the southern hognose snake as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. This proposal, published on August 29, 2025, opens a 60-day public comment period that runs through October 28.
The snake, known for its distinctive upturned snout, has disappeared from Alabama and Mississippi since the 1970s and now survives only in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Federal officials estimate the species has declined by about 62% over the last 150 years.
“Conserving the southern hognose snake is also about protecting the vital landscapes that benefit our communities,” said FWS Field Office Supervisor Christy Johnson Hughes. “We are working with the Longleaf Alliance, The Nature Conservancy, state wildlife agencies, and private landowners to conserve the open-canopy, fire-dependent ecosystems, to preserve natural buffers that reduce storm damage, enhance water quality and support local economies and livelihoods.”
The small, non-venomous reptile, typically measuring between 14-24 inches long, faces multiple threats. Among the most serious is road mortality. When frightened, the snake freezes and plays dead by turning belly-up with its tongue hanging out – a defense mechanism that proves deadly on roadways. In North Carolina, 84% of all southern hognose snake observations between 1985 and 2012 were roadkill.
Other major threats include habitat loss, fragmentation, and non-native species like red imported fire ants, feral hogs, and cogongrass. The snake depends on open-canopy upland habitats with sandy soils and grassy understory – conditions historically maintained by natural fires.
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The proposal includes a tailored rule under Section 4(d) of the Endangered Species Act that would allow exceptions for certain land management activities that benefit the species. These include prescribed burns, sustainable forestry practices, invasive plant control, and some utility maintenance work.
This proposal represents a reversal for the FWS. In 2019, the agency declined to list the species, but litigation from the Center for Biological Diversity forced a reconsideration. The Center originally petitioned for protection in 2012.
“It’s good that one of the South’s most distinctive and imperiled snakes will receive protections they urgently need, but I’m troubled by the loopholes in this proposal,” said Will Harlan, southeast director at the Center. “The Fish and Wildlife Service needs to remove the exemptions for logging and pesticides and designate critical habitat.”
The southern hognose snake inhabits the longleaf pine ecosystem, which once covered 92 million acres along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts. Today, approximately 97% of these forests have been lost to clearing and fire suppression.
Wildlife crossings could help reduce road mortality. These structures have proven effective for various species, including reptiles. The federal Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program, part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal passed in 2021, provides funding for such projects, though it will expire in 2026 without congressional action.
The public can submit comments on the proposal through October 28, 2025, by visiting regulations.gov and searching for docket number FWS-R4-ES-2025-0210. Requests for public hearings must be submitted by October 14, 2025.While the agency has determined that designating critical habitat would be “prudent,” they concluded it is “not determinable at this time,” a decision criticized by conservation groups.
