Digging

After Emory the rat snake explored the great outdoors last week, Digger was not about to be left out on the fun! Once in the grass, Digger lived up to her name and started tunneling right away:

Digger is a Western Hognose Snake, a species that features an upturned “nose” that acts like a shovel. They use this tool to burrow underground, often finding their favorite foods like toads and frogs. With their excellent sense of smell, western hognose snakes have also been known to follow turtle nest scent trails and dig up the eggs for a meal. This species is native farther west, but Wisconsin is home to the similar Eastern Hognose Snake.