Snake cannibalism

[n3xia]

Have any of you seen snake cannibalism in the wild? It doesn't seem to be common knowledge, but I have seen footage of two separate incidences of a children's python trying to eat another snake - both were bigger than the childreni. The local newspaper here has also published a few photos of brown snakes eating each other. I uploaded one of the childreni videos to Wikipedia a few years ago, if anyone's interested. And a workmate of mine just turned up with photos of what looks like a children's fighting with/attempting to eat a keelback. I don't want to push her to upload them here though as they're her photos.

Edit: the video was shot in Batchelor, Northern Territory, and the shots I saw this morning were taken in Acacia, Northern Territory.

 

[sarah_m]

One of the original rough scale pythons collected by John Weigel was found in the coils of an olive python, that no doubt would have eaten it if it hadn't been discovered when it was.

 

[Jacknife]

BHP's are the most notorious cannibal snakes in Aus...

 

[imported_Varanus]

There's a great one in Scott Eipper's new edition of an Eastern Brown consuming a Tiger Snake, I've personally seen RBB's consuming Eastern Browns and vise versa and many elapids are known cannibals (including their own species). At other times they can also tolerate eachother's company .

 

[Bushman]

What are those photos of IV?

 

[Jacknife]

What are those photos of IV?

EB chowing on a Tiger by the looks...

 

[imported_Varanus]

What are those photos of IV?

Grass! I just love grass!! It's from a regular RBB overwintering site in Northern NSW. Usually 4-5 large female RBB's and, one day, I noticed this big textillis sharing the same site. He dosen't look too stressed about sharing with a den of potential cannibals, though I wonder if he gets outta there quickly when the weather warms and his den mates start looking a bit hungry again.

 

[Melzey]

I have, I have! about 20 years ago, my sister and I were walking in the bush behind my mums property. Mid north coast NSW. We came upon a red belly black eating a brown snake. I was about 10 at the time and I'm devastated I don't have a pic, but we were completely blown away. awesome nature

 

[Bushman]

:lol: Thanks mate. That's one brave textilis then. I suppose that they read each others body language better than we do and somehow knew it was safe. I've also heard that the big specimens are safe from predation, hence the harmonious co-habitation in some cases perhaps.

 

[joeplant57]

BHP's are the most notorious cannibal snakes in Aus...

BHP,s and Womas are the only two Pythons that will eat other Reptiles..well that's what I was told years ago and had no reason to doubt it up to now..

 

[riotgirlckb]

BHP,s and Womas are the only two Pythons that will eat other Reptiles..well that's what I was told years ago and had no reason to doubt it up to now..

other reptiles, that can include small lizards and things, I've heard of that before, Badsville is saying cannibal as in other pythons, of course a massive python wont have issues eating a lizard the size of its head or smaller but eating another python is quite impressive

 

[nintendont]

BHP,s and Womas are the only two Pythons that will eat other Reptiles..well that's what I was told years ago and had no reason to doubt it up to now..

define cannibilism. is a python that eats an elapid considered cannibalism? or only when a python eats a python, elapid eats elapid etc.?
Im not sure how reliable the particular doco was, but I saw one that said the majority of a womas diet in the wild is venemous snakes. They have apparently even built up a resistance/immunity to a multitude of venoms and could be the focus for research on universal anti-venom and/or cancer treatment. It was at this point I started appreciating Aspidites. Before then I was a bit "meh"

so to answer my own question: cannibalism is apparently the same species eating each other. so woma eating a woma. methinks it is probably being used a little out of context here then.

 

[n3xia]

define cannibilism. is a python that eats an elapid considered cannibalism? or only when a python eats a python, elapid eats elapid etc.?
Im not sure how reliable the particular doco was, but I saw one that said the majority of a womas diet in the wild is venemous snakes. They have apparently even built up a resistance/immunity to a multitude of venoms and could be the focus for research on universal anti-venom and/or cancer treatment. It was at this point I started appreciating Aspidites. Before then I was a bit "meh"

so to answer my own question: cannibalism is apparently the same species eating each other. so woma eating a woma. methinks it is probably being used a little out of context here then.

Methinks cannibalism in this thread means any snake eating another snake, as per the title