I think that you are misinterpreting the data that is right in front of you. Not sure what other species you keep but during the first 5 years that I got into this hobby I worked with as many different snakes as I could. I kept hognose, kings, milks, rosy boas, corns, pits, etc. I've lived in the same area for 35 years during which time I've had field experience with kings, milks, pits, and a few rattlesnakes. Any one of them is more willing to bite you than a hognose. As babies, hognose flip over and play dead. Ever see any one of these other species do that? No, they strike and bite when threatened. Pits can be just as showy as a hognose but they will gladly strike and bite. It's well documented that hognose strike with their mouth closed. Can't say that about the others

What "data" and I misinterpreting? There is no data on hognose bite frequency. My list of species I have worked with/kept is extensive but not important in this discussion. We are talking about hognose snakes and not any other species. You can not compare hogs to pits or corns or kings. Those species strike and constrict their prey. Hognose do not. If their feeding response is so different, why cant their defensive response be? Sure many hogs mock strike (if you can call what they do striking), but many also bite.

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