| 1 | Striped road guarder |
Maximum length: 85cm.
A Mexican snake which is extremely recognisable, with a grey-beige base overlaid with black lines running lengthways down its body. Striped road guarders (Conophis vittatus) are common in human areas, in towns, and even grassland near airports. Naturally, their habitats include tropical deciduous forests and dry scrubland, and while they lack venom, they’re extremely common due to their speed and agility.
Striped road guarders also have several bonus tricks up their sleeves, one being death-faking. Scientists were in an area of deciduous and oak forest in Jalisco, Mexico. They disturbed a striped road guarder, and initially, it reacted normally, becoming agitated, making rapid movements, producing a foul smell, and attempting to bite. Generally acting unhinged, in other words.
The scientists wrestled the snake into a bag, and then its demeanor changed: the striped road guarder rotated its upper body, gaped its mouth wide, and went completely limp. It ceased to react to any external stimulation. If you saw a picture, you’d instantly think it was devoid of life.
After 1 minute, the road guarder rotated its entire body onto its back and stayed immobile. It took 11 minutes until the snake reactivated and attempted to escape. This striped road guarder was found under a log in a forest, rather than slithering around openly like they commonly do, so it may have already been in a defensive mode.
Striped road guarders prey on reptiles, such as the Colima giant whiptail. Their heartland is southern Mexico, but they also reach far western Guatemala.
| 2 | Grey-banded kingsnake |
Maximum length: 146.7cm.
It’s one thing for scientists to admire a snake’s death-faking skills in a lab, but some are so skilled that they can actually fool professional snake investigators. One example is the grey-banded kingsnake (Lapropeltis alternata), which is found in western Texas and southern New Mexico.
In 1973, scientists were driving down a highway in Presidio County, Texas, when they spotted a ringtail cat, standing over a grey-banded kingsnake. They assumed that the kingsnake was roadkill and the cat was scavenging its corpse. The snake was fully limp, and remained limp while the scientists examined it. When placed on the ground, the kingsnake made no attempt to right itself.
It was clearly dead, so the scientists placed it harmlessly on the passenger seat of the car, in a semi-coiled position, and drove off. The problem was that 10 minutes later, the snake was no longer there. It had disappeared, and they later found the kingsnake crawling through the springs beneath the car seat, very much alive.
They also reported death-faking among baby (neonate) grey-banded kingsnakes. When disturbed, one neonate became limp with a crooked neck, and its mouth slightly open. The scientists backed off, and the kingsnake righted itself, and crawled off. When they returned, it instantly re-entered the death-faking charade. Faking death isn’t especially common in Lampropeltis kingsnakes of the USA, but this species is an exception.
| 3 | DeKay’s brown snake |
Maximum length: 52.7cm.
Storeria dekayi, or Dekay’s brown snake, is the most common snake in US cities overall, with an immense ability to survive in suburban housing estates or even concrete jungles if there’s some form of grass. Dekay’s brown snakes prey on slugs and earthworms, meaning that there’s potential meals everywhere. It’s not their venom which has allowed them to achieve domination, as they don’t have any; the best they can do is chew your finger mournfully.
However, Dekay’s brown snake does have a huge amount of death-faking talent. According to this technical review of death-faking (thanatosis), Dekay’s brown snake has exhibited 6 death-faking behaviors across various studies. These include…
Tonic immobility – becoming temporarily rigid, like a corpse.
Supination – flipping over onto its back.
Mouth gaping – deliberately hanging its mouth open wide, like all life is gone.
Contortion – twisting and thrashing as though in death throes.
Stiffness – mimicking the rigidity of a corpse.
Tongue protrusion – a classic piece of death-faking acting skill.
All these behaviours are relinquished when the aggressor turns away and leaves. There’s good chance that a Dekay’s brown snake is lurking in your backgarden, if you live in the eastern half of the USA. Be on your guard next time you’re shifting garden furniture and plant pots around.
| 4 | Graceful adorned snake |
Maximum length: 67.5cm.
A mild-mannered snake with an intense death-faking performance. This species measures 35-60cm and ranges from southern Mexico to western Colombia.
Scientists were exploring a sea turtle conservancy in Costa Rica when they found a graceful adorned snake (Rhadinaea decorata) crossing a walkway. It was right in the open, 25 metres from the nearest cover object. The scientists approached. Immediately, the snake started convulsing violently, with “seizure-like contractions down the length of its body”. It released a foul musky smell, and flipped over onto its back, falling to the ground, and remained limp for several minutes.
The scientists even prodded the snake and failed to break its death-feigning performance. The scientists then placed the graceful adorned snake on leaf litter. After a few moments, it reactivated, and went on its way, pleased with its work, probably believing that the scientists were 100% fooled.
This species is recognisable by its browner body contrasting against a pale ocular stripe: a white line next to each eye, which continues down the upper body. Its diet mainly includes amphibians, including poisonous ones like strawberry poison-dart frogs.
| 5 | Northern eyelash boa |
Maximum length: 35cm.
The northern eyelash boa (Trachyboa boulengeri) is a small species found in western Colombia and Ecuador. It’s nearly always found in deep forests, occasionally venturing to plantations on their outskirts, but rarely even to villages and definitely not towns.
Northern eyelash boas lack any offensive weapons whatsoever, with no venom nor ripping fangs. Instead, they’ve thrown everything into the deception angle.
Their first trick is a bright yellow tail, which contrasts against a muddy brown body, and is designed to lure in curious frogs. Their second trick is faking death. Northern eyelash boas have been observed to perform a rare snake trick – deliberately releasing blood into their eyes to redden them, and convince a predator that they’re a bloody corpse. They wish to dissuade birds from thinking they’re a fresh, tasty meal, and if the trait has survived in the species, then it most likely succeeds occasionally, or maybe more than occasionally.
Rather than the occasional fluke, northern eyelash boas use this death-faking trick commonly. In 2022, scientists explored rainforests in Ecuador, and managed to gather 36 Trachyboa boulengeri specimens. Of these, 22.2% (8/36) used the auto-hemorrhaging trick. Most of the snakes were found in shallow streams and creeks within the rainforest.
| 6 | Great plains ground snake |
Maximum length: 47cm.
The Great Plains ground snake (Sonora episcopa) lives in the southern USA, especially Texas, as well as northern Mexico. They measure 20-45cm and are found in semi-deserts, dry rocky slopes and old dried out streambeds. One of their favourite survival strategies is living hundreds of miles away in a dusty desert where no-one will ever bother them. But they still have to contend with swooping birds and hungry coyotes, and to combat them, they often fake death.
In the heat of the desert, Sonora episcopa will go limp to mimic a corpse, cock its neck like all life is gone, and go unnaturally stiff. This death-faking performance most likely succeeds with some birds or other predators, otherwise it would not have survived.
Great Plains ground snakes vary significantly in appearance, but are commonly orange with fine black bands, blending perfectly with dry soil. This snake preys on scorpions, centipedes and spiders, and they’re intelligent enough to vary their hunting style. With spiders, they lunge in with almost no tactics, but with scorpions, they carefully restrain them and inject a mild venom (too weak for humans).
| 7 | Hemprich’s coral snake |
Maximum length: 91.7cm.
Hemprich’s coral snake (Micrurus hemprichii) is one of the more memorable species among a snake genus that tends to blend in with each other. Firstly, they lack any red, preferring shades of black, yellow and white. Secondly, they’re known to practise male wrestling, where two competing males will coil around each other and slam each other to the ground. This combines with a venom that can cause uncomfortable shortness of breath, and in 2014, another unusual skill was discovered: death faking.
The scene was a forest path in Rondônia, northern Brazil, where scientists spotted a coral snake slithering into leaf litter along the edge. It was a Hemprich’s coral snake, and as soon as it was manipulated, it became lethargic. As scientists handled it with a snake hook, the coral snake gaped its mouth wide and flipped onto its back.
Most importantly, the coral snake ceased all response to external stimuli. The answer to this riddle was sudden death, and the coral snake kept up the act for 4 minutes. Only when the scientists moved to 5 metres away did the coral snake reactivate, thinking the coast was clear.
This species exists in virtually the entire Amazon region, and therefore overlaps with many other coral snakes. The lack of red is a good ID sign. The report found 3 death-faking behaviours: gaping its mouth, immobility, and flipping over. This is the most known for an individual species in the coral snake clan so far. Two other species have two behaviours recorded: the eastern coral snake of Florida, and southern coral snake (Micrurus frontalis) of southeast Brazil.
| 8 | Forest flame snake |
Maximum length: 132.7cm.
Forest flame snakes (Oxyrhopus petolarius) cover a huge swathe of South America, and are probably the king of snakes when it comes to rapidly fleeing into the bushes. Forest flame snakes are harmless to humans, and if you stray too close, they’ll use their rapid speed to dash into the undergrowth within seconds and never come back. You may never lay eyes on them again, or see them the next day, only to get one inch closer than last time before they vanish all over again.
This rapid flight has enabled them to take over approximately 50% of South America, and most of Brazil. Forest flame snakes have one secret weapon though, which they don’t use too often. They’re able to fake death, as spotted in 2021 in Panama’s Veraguas Province.
Researchers placed a forest flame snake in a clearing, attempting to take photos. Initially, it attempted to flee as usual, but when it was recaptured and placed on the spot, it flipped over its body, attempting to play dead. It remained motionless for an entire minute, before it flipped back over and attempted to flee again.
Initially, the snake deployed its usual fleeing strategy, so playing dead is clearly a handy back up. Forest flame snakes are commonly found in cloud forests, rainforests, dry forests, and even savannah-like habitats – anywhere with vegetation to flee into. They’re excellent at climbing, though tend to stick to lower branches and bushes below 3.5 metres, and are equally comfortable on the ground.
| 9 | Spot-bellied slug-eating snake |
Maximum length: 73.5cm.
From the deserts of Texas, we now transfer to the grasslands of Paraguay, for another death-faking snake: the spot-bellied slug-eating snake (Dipsas ventrimaculata). This species has viper-mimicking patterns of alternating grey and white, but lacks any venom. It feeds on small slimy creatures, measures 30-40cm, and cannot hurt a human being.
Scientists came across a Dipsas ventrimaculatus inside a house in southern Paraguay. It was covered with cobwebs and fluff, and tried to free itself using sudden, sharp movements of its head. Eventually, it fully hid its head in the centre of its coils to shield itself. The scientists generously intervened, and prised the snake apart in order to remove the remaining cobwebs from its body.
At this point, the slug-eating snake became completely limp and motionless. Scientists removed the last few cobwebs and placed it on the ground. The snake remained limp and motionless. It seemed like it had died from the stress, but several minutes later, the snake reactivated and was full of life.
Scientists seized the snake again, and this time, it flipped its body over to reveal the belly, and became completely stiff. The slug-eating snake remained completely immobile until a loud noise spooked it into fleeing. When handled yet again, the spot-bellied slug-eating snake instantly restarted the death-faking charade.
| 10 | Neuwied’s false boa |
Maximum length: 121.7cm.
There are vast legions of snakes worldwide which have never been observed to play dead and probably never do. It seems especially rare in vipers, non-existent in rattlesnakes for instance, but there are still additions being made to the play dead club. There’s thousands of snakes worldwide, and so many are barely researched.
One mysterious snake is Neuwied’s false boa (Pseudoboa neuweidii), recognisable by its pure red body contrasting against a snowy white neck and black head. This species measures over 1 metre and is surprisingly venomous, with proteolytic toxins that almost match a Bothrops lancehead.
The first observation of it playing dead were made in Tocumen, in the Panamá district of Panama, in March 2019. Firstly, the cornered Pseudoboa neuwiedii flipped onto its back, then became fully immobile and rigid. It was placed into a plastic container, still with no response.
A few minutes later, the snake suddenly reactivated and attempted to escape the container. An hour later, the team moved to release the snake, and witnessed a repeat of the same death-faking cycle, proving that it wasn’t a fluke. Another disturbing characteristic of this snake is a face so black you can barely make out its eyes.