What species of snake is this? It was sighted in NE New Mexico, Union County

Question

The snake in this photograph was found injured/dead in Clayton, Union, New Mexico (USA) on 10/06/2021. I want to know if it is a juvenile bullsnake or a Chihuahuan Night Snake...or something altogether different.

Answer 1

This looks like a western hognose snake (Heterodon nasicus).

^{Source: Wikipedia}

Notice the OP's yellowish ground color with darker circles and elongated dark elliptic shapes on the head. this mirrors descriptions of H. nasicus, e.g.:

The dorsal ground color is light yellowish-tan to grayish-olive, or even a rich brown. There are a series of dark oval middorsal blotches with smaller ones along the sides. The ventral surface is white to yellowish with masses of dark pigment, sometimes with yellow or orange mixed in. The head is marked with long dark blotches

This is a relatively small snake (<20 inches) that is found from southern Canada to northern Mexico (source).

^{Source: MN DNR}