Gastronomic delight?

[tropicbreeze]

This is the second time I've managed to get photos of a Slatey-grey feeding on a Cane Toad at my place. Yet people keep telling me they'll die from it. The first, a couple of years back I thought the toad was too big for the snake. I watched through the evening and the snake didn't seem to be making much headway with it. Finally went to bed. In the morning there was no sign of a dead snake or a dead toad.

This evening I saw a Slatey-grey pulling back from water with a very limp toad in its mouth. This time the toad was a little smaller in relation to the size of the snake. I went and got the camera and got back to the snake which was managing to get the toad down. Took some photos, went inside, checked the photos and then the battery went flat.

Charged the battery up but by the time I got back to the snake the toad was just a lump in the snake's belly. The snake was resting up. My light disturbed it and it finally began to move away. No sign of any distress or discomfort (in as much as I could tell from observation of its behaviour). Maybe a bit of a satisfied grin on its face, although that could have been my imagination.

Went back later but the snake had gone, there's plenty of shelter places in my garden.

 

[dottyback]

Great photos! They really are greedy hungry snakes!

 

[waruikazi]

I've seen the same thing. I got a call out to Plamerston and found a slatey belly up with a toad half way down. It regruged as i was bagging it but the snake survived. Was not in a good way though.

But i also got told a story by a couple of US herpers that went for a geeze around Fogg Dam that they found a dead slatey with a toad down it's throat.

Have you ever seen GTS going toads?

 

[tropicbreeze]

Thanks for the comments fellas. I've never seen a GTS going for toads. The toads are out at night and I've only ever seen GTS active during the day.

 

[Erebos]

Great pictures mate. Good find.


Cheers Brenton

 

[longqi]

One of the most under rated snakes on Earth
Absolutely stunning with a metallic sheen that puts any water python to shame
Easy to look after and fast and elusive when they want to be

I used them in demos for years and every time I opened the bag everyone took a step back
Very few people had the slightest clue what they were
But their movement/look is so like an elapid

Great shots of a great snake

 

[SteveNT]

Great snake. There are heaps of reports of slateys eating toads up here and many survive. Certainly not all though. Maybe toxin accumulation, one is doable but two in a row maybe too much? Just speculating.

 

[Asharee133]

You sure its a toad?

 

[waruikazi]

You sure its a toad?

Yep!

 

[JasonL]

You sure its a toad?

Yes

Interesting, I think its a bit like people becoming immune to snake venom, get the right doses at the right time and it can be done, get either wrong and it will or will come close to knocking you over.

 

[Asharee133]

Okie :3

 

[waruikazi]

Okie :3

If you look at the fingers and toes you will see there is no sticky pads or webbing, more like claws. That is the definate give away, apart from it just looking like a toad.

 

[tropicbreeze]

Unfortunately, I know Cane Toads all too well. And that was a Cane Toad. One thing that might have influenced the outcome, the snake seemed to be pulling the toad out of the water. The toad was limp, so maybe the snake killed it in the water and most of the venom washed away. But as I said before, the snake showed no sign of being distressed or of pain afterwards. It swam normally.

These are the photos from a couple of years ago.

 

[Treknotechelaps]

It wouldn't surprise me that they show a bit of immunity to toad toxins as other species of Stegonotus (Slatey-greys, browns and others) occur in Indonesia and the Philippines where toads naturally occur. Stegonotus are closely related to the genus Lycodon (Wolf Snakes) which are widespread in Asia. Colubrid snakes are widespread in Asia and dispersed south to Australia only in recent times, therefore they would have some immunity to toad toxins.

 

[tropicbreeze]

Thanks for those comments Elapo. I haven't done a study of it, but I do get a lot of Slaty-greys at my place. Also a lot of Cane Toads. Last night caught 14, most of which were in the same size range as the one being eaten in the first lot of photos. But the snakes are still around. I find plenty of shed snake skins, but no dead snakes.