I had wanted to see one of the American hog-nosed snakes since I was a kid, because they are just completely ridiculous. They eat toads almost exclusively, and everyone knows that a diet of toads is a ridiculous diet. Also, with their little upturned snouts they are ridiculously cute. But most ridiculous of all is their sometime behavior when disturbed, which the little guy I found exhibited in all its glory.

When it first became worried about my presence, it flattened its body and neck, twitched, and hissed, as if anyone would be scared of this cute little harmless snake. When it realized that it had failed to impress, it stunk up the place by excreting something foul. When even that stench wasn't enough to frighten me off, it performed a dramatic death dance, rolling over on its back, opening its mouth, and sticking out its tongue. Nobody wants to eat a dead snake, right? After holding this pose for a few minutes, it gently lifted its cute little head and looked around to see if the coast was clear. I guess it didn't notice that I was still looming nearby with my camera, because it then flipped back rightside-up and returned to its morning business.

Thanks to Matt Cage for advice on how to find this species.