Southern Hognose Snake/Endangered Species Act: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Federal Register Notice Proposing Listing

The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (“Service”) published a proposed rule in the August 29th Federal Register addressing a petition requesting the listing of the Southern Hognose Snake. See 90 Fed. Reg. 42151.

The Service grants the petition and proposes to list the Southern Hognose Snake as a threatened species with protective regulations under Section 4(d) of the Endangered Species Act (“ESA”).

The Southern Hognose Snake is stated to be endemic to the to the Coastal Plain ecoregion of the southeastern United States.

States with known occurrence records include:

• North Carolina
• South Carolina
• Georgia
• Florida
• Alabama
• Mississippi

Nevertheless, the Service states that the species was distributed across much of the southeastern United States.

The Southern Hognose Snake is stated to be associated with the longleaf pine savanna ecosystem. Their habitat includes open-canopy, xeric, upland habitat with well-drained, sandy soils, characterized by pine-dominated or pine-oak woodland. This type of pine ecosystem is dependent upon regular fire intervals and other disturbances to create and maintain open pine conditions.

The ESA defines a threatened species as one that is likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range. A species is considered in danger if the Service finds one of any of the following factors:

• The present or threatened destruction, modification, or curtailment of its habitat or range;
• Overutilization for commercial, recreational, scientific, or educational purposes;
• Disease or predation;
• The inadequacy of existing regulatory mechanisms; or
• Other natural or manmade factors affecting its continued existence.

The Service determined that based on the best scientific and commercial data available, that listing the Southern Hognose Snake as threatened is warranted. In undertaking a listing decision, the Service addressed:

• Species Needs.
• Feeding.
• Breeding.
• Sheltering.
• Movement/Dispersal.
• Threats.
  • Habitat loss, conversion, and fragmentation.
  • Road mortality.
  • Invasive species.
• Effects of climate change.

A copy of the Federal Register notice can be downloaded here.