GEORGIA — What looks like a snake’s final moments is actually one of its finest theatrical performances.
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources posted video of an eastern hognose snake performing what’s called a “death performance” on its Facebook page.
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DNR said that when the snake feels threatened, it flares its neck and body by breathing in deeply and then expelling the air with an “impresssssive” hiss. If that doesn’t work, a hognose snake will forcefully roll onto its back and begin to writhe violently as if in terrible pain.
A scientist captured the bizarre moment in Georgia while collecting scientific observations earlier this week.
“During this ‘death performance,’ the snake may also evert its cloacal vent, regurgitate its stomach contents, defecate, release musk and even bleed from its mouth. Talk about dedication,” DNR wrote on Facebook.
After the “performance,” the snake appears to be lifeless and limp, hoping that its potential predator moves on.
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The video received more than 38 million views and there are more than 12,000 comments on the Facebook post.
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