caliherp
Well-Known Member
Because kings virtually vanish after hatching and dont reappear until about 2metres I have a theory about hatchling mortality
Not easy to find good examples of wild king hatchies leaving the nest and spreading out to hunt
Expert breeders say that if they dont feed within 48hrs they eventually die
But where the mums make their nests it is rare to find other snakes
So the only prey items close at hand are the other hatchies
I think the first hatched, ie strongest, eat most of the others as they hatch
This is considered a totally off the wall idea by most other people
Wont know more until maybe next year when we can hopefully set up cameras on/in a nest
Its taken us a long time to crack these guys
Every trip teaches us more and we have barely scraped the surface yet
That theory doesn't seem off the wall to me, but I do have a few screws lose in my head. It actually makes sense if you put some thought into it. You never know you might get a early indication when the eggs hatch. Maybe the egg count wont match the hatchling count. Either way im intrigued by you and your teams work so please keep me updated with any info your willing to divulge.
Regards, Patrick