Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all,
I've been playing with snakes for about fourty years now, and have caught, and kept a few hoggies during that time. They are wonderful animals. Recently, I was told that Madagascar Hog nosed snakes can get as big, and bigger than my Indigos, both in length, and girth. That would place them in the 8-10 ft. range, and as big around as a softball. Is that a correct analagy? Or is someone getting a little carried away? It is difficult for me to imagine a hoggie any bigger than my big male Eastern Indigo. But this guy claims he has such animals in his collection. Thanks,
Tony.

Yes, Leiheterodon madagascarensis can get very large. They are not a 'hognose' snake at all, being in a completely different family (Pseudoxyrhophiidae) than Heterdon (which are in Dispsadidae). The madagascar colubrids are all genetically closer to cobras than corn snakes (which are in the Colubridae family), as opposed to dipsadids which are much closer to the colubrines.

Cheers
B
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Dr. Bryan Grieg Fry
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Australian Venom Research Unit,
University of Melbourne
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Population and Evolutionary Genetics Unit,
Museum Victoria
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http://www.venomdoc.com

Here's a picture of a good sized one. I've read they can grow "up to 8ft" but have never seen one over 6 1/2 ft. Mine is about 5ft.

Compared to an Indigo of the same the same size, they have about the same girth.

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1.0 Malagasy Giant Hognose
1.1 Jungle Carpet Python
1.0 Black Milksnake
1.0 Black Pine
0.0.1 Black Ratsnake
1.0 White Lipped Python (Black phase)
0.1 Dumeril Boa
1.0 Columbian Red Tail Boa
0.1 Guyana Red Tail Boa
0.0.1 Blue Tongue Skink
0.0.1 Black Throat Monitor

I have 2 in excess of 7' and a 2 year old at 6'. I doubt they will reach 8 , the male id filling out now rather than getting longer, hes about the same girth as the one in the picture above.

This is the male, hes 3.

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www.hognose.co.uk

Here he is again, hes actually a lot bigger than this now.

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www.hognose.co.uk

This is the female:

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www.hognose.co.uk

hey!, have you ever bred your mad. hogs? if so do you have any pics of hatchlings? thanks, jeff

I havent bred the giants but I have bred the speckleds.
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www.hognose.co.uk