During a recent family getaway to Ocean City, Maryland, Roxanne Flanagan was soaking in the seaside calm when a sudden scream cut through the sound of the waves. It was her daughter — and she sounded terrified.
“I ran as fast as I could,” Flanagan told The Dodo. “All I kept hearing was her yelling, ‘It’s a snake! It’s a snake!’ And I’m thinking, there’s no way — it’s probably just a stick that washed up.”
But her daughter wasn’t imagining things.
What looked like a piece of driftwood was actually a small eastern hog-nosed snake making its way across the sand — completely harmless and very much alive.
Eastern hog-nosed snakes have an intimidating look, but they’re known for being the exact opposite of aggressive.
“They’re so non-confrontational that they often flip onto their backs and pretend to be dead when they encounter people,” Maryland Department of Natural Resources herpetologist Beth Schlimm explained.
These snakes thrive in sandy environments where they can easily sniff out their favorite snacks. Their upturned, shovel-like noses help them dig through the ground, which is exactly why finding one at the beach wasn’t unusual — though ending up so close to humans definitely wasn’t part of his plan.
Flanagan guided her children to keep a safe distance as they watched the little snake attempt to swim toward the waves. Unsure whether he needed help, they contacted local experts.
Soon after, Ocean City Animal Control officers arrived, gently collected the confused reptile and relocated him to a safer, quieter spot nearby.
As Schlimm noted, these snakes face one major threat above all: losing the natural spaces they depend on.
“The best thing people can do to protect the eastern hog-nosed snake is preserve the wild places they call home,” she said.
With a little care from everyone, even the timidest creatures can continue living peacefully — right where they belong.
