Even snakes need refuge. Some snakes hide under brush piles, rock crevices, logs, trees, or burrow underground. Burrowing snakes have various traits that make them great underground dwellers.
Gopher snakes, like the Florida Pine snake, dig holes with their snouts. Western North America has many gopher snakes. They prefer well-drained, easy-to-dig soil. Prairies have them.
Hognose snakes, with their pig-like snouts, are widespread in the eastern U.S. and Canada. Snakes don't spend much time below, but they burrow in shallow, soft dirt to control their body temperature.
Florida Pine snakes reside in Florida, but also in South Carolina and Alabama. They favour sandy pine woodlands. Their snout scale helps them excavate tunnels.
Brahminy blind snakes are native to Africa and Asia but have invaded Florida. These small snakes resemble worms. They dig through moist soil like worms.
Bull snakes are subspecies of Gopher snakes and linked to Florida Pine snakes. Bull snakes inhabit the Great Plains and Midwest. Their pointy heads help them move earth and dirt to burrow.
The Shovel-nosed snake burrows underground. As the name implies, they use a shovel-like snout to travel fast through sand and soil. Arizona, Nevada, California, and Baja have these snakes.
Arizona and Baja have banded sand snakes. These snakes have a digging snout. Sand snakes burrow all day and prey at night. These snakes swim like they're in sand.