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Primo

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I have not been able to find much info on this subject but I read the Mark O'shea book BOAS AND PYTHONS OF THE WORLD

In the book he mentions the scrub python having a potential predator, and that predator was said to be the Olive Python. I don't think I have seen much other info on the subject of olive pythons regularly eating other snakes, but maybe you guys know since you are closer to them than us staties. He also mentioned the same behavior was exhibited by the Papuan Olive though I know it is a different species.

Is there any truth that olives will take on scrubs for a meal? Just how big a role do other snakes play in the diet of olive pythons if any?

Thanks for any info.
 
I've Seen a photo of a captive olive eating a captive bredli, both my olive pythons show a lot of interest in the scent of my other pythons and a wild olive I handled in the NT regurgitated a northern blue-tongue lizard.

Id say in certain areas reptiles make up a decent portion of an olives diet.
 
Very interesting info, and I'd say that would make these snakes the "king" of snakes in most instances sans the king cobra which specializes in eating other snakes.

I have seen the photo set of an olive taking a croc, but have yet to see one feeding on another large python.

Thanks for posting up, as i've always wondered about this.
 
We actually have quite a few snake eating snakes , woma's, bhp's, and mulga's to name a few. Some even cannibalise.
 
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Not my picture but this was posted on this forum a while ago


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Great photo, and I've seen this one too. Is that a carpet on the wrong end of things there?

Would you guys say in general, the olives are thicker than the scrubs, sort of in the like of the anaconda being thicker and heavier than the reticulated python, but not as long?

I know in the above mentioned book, a rough scaled python was rescued from an olive.

You Aussies have the toughest snakes on the planet IMO.

Is there anybody here that has compared the Papuan Olives with the Australian Olives, similarities differences?

I think if these guys were semi arboreal they'd be my favorite snake hands down.
 
Great photo, and I've seen this one too. Is that a carpet on the wrong end of things there?

Think its a scrub and a water python

Would you guys say in general, the olives are thicker than the scrubs, sort of in the like of the anaconda being thicker and heavier than the reticulated python, but not as long?

If the olive python and scrub were a similar length the olive would be thicker set

I know in the above mentioned book, a rough scaled python was rescued from an olive.

You Aussies have the toughest snakes on the planet IMO.

Is there anybody here that has compared the Papuan Olives with the Australian Olives, similarities differences?

I think if these guys were semi arboreal they'd be my favorite snake hands down.

There partially arboreal they can be found high up in gorges so the term would be saxicoline.
 
On another note it was thought that bhp's and woma's had evolved anti-venom like properties in there blood to prevent them dying from bites when engaging venomous snakes, a recent photo of a woma being consumed by a mulga snake disputes this claim. I'm pretty sure the mulga is immune to other venomous snakes but may be wrong.
 
On another note it was thought that bhp's and woma's had evolved anti-venom like properties in there blood to prevent them dying from bites when engaging venomous snakes, a recent photo of a woma being consumed by a mulga snake disputes this claim. I'm pretty sure the mulga is immune to other venomous snakes but may be wrong.


I'm not at all familiar with this species. Not to get off topic, but I'd like to hear more. Here in the States or largest "snake eater" is the Eastern King snake. There is another formidable snake eater from South America called the Mussurana Clelia Clelia and this snake packs a punch with a mild venom but it is also a constrictor.

I'd like to hear more about the mulga.

I believe our Eastern Kings reach 7 feet or 82cm?? The Mussurana is pretty large and thick as well.

Still,,,, If the Olives take Srubbies, they are pretty damn impressive in my opinion.

At one point after reading the O'shea book, I was convinced Olive pythons were the top dog in the snake world.

Obviously immunities to venom probably only apply to species specific predation but I'd be curious if a very, very hungry olive would be a match for a king cobra. Reticulated pythons usually don't do well against those cobras, but they are also not know for eating other snakes.

Keep the banter coming, I'm somewhat shocked that scrubs, olives and womas aren't really recognized often here. Although I'm rather proud to have a coastal X mutt in my collection. We have carpets here, but other Aussie pythons are not as prevalent.

You guys have all the cool stuff. But I know you'd love boa constrictors. The big Peruvian females can go 11 feet and 80 pounds.

Even still I see my carpet is faster and more active than my boa.
 
The mulga snake often incorrectly called "the king brown snake" (it's actually related to black snakes eg, red bellied black) is our second biggest venomous snake at 3.3 metres long. It pretty much only eats reptiles and frogs but is known to consume mammals, birds and eggs. The larger individuals are getting scarce these days thanks to the old cane toad. It's immune to venom of other mulga's aswell as the western brown snake, and possibly more. I spent a fair amount of time last year searching for large mulga's without success .

to be honest I have no interest in keeping over seas species, although I'm intregued by a few.

Olives have always been a favourite of mine there's just something about them,
im looking into obtaining the pilbara sub-species, they are one impressive snake reaching 6.5 metres in length.

its unfortunate that you can't keep many of our species, and that the ones you's have left are out bred with other sub-species.
 
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There is a very small area of cross population(north western part of FNQ) So whilst not impossible I"d say its an extreme rarity.
More chance of a Water Python going a scrubbie considering it's diet and distribution. (As above)
 
There is a very small area of cross population(north western part of FNQ) So whilst not impossible I"d say its an extreme rarity.
More chance of a Water Python going a scrubbie considering it's diet and distribution. (As above)

I guess it comes down to the population densities of each species, it may only be a thousand or so sqaure kms that there distribution overlaps but if they encounter each other regularly I'd say it'd be a lot less rare, with the scrub preferring mamals and birds, the olive's would either compete directly for such prey or consume more reptiles.
 
Again, excellent info! I'm pretty sure we can get Olives here, but I'm not sure of the lines/purity.

I didn't realize the mulga was a hot. That would be your king cobra equivalent there I'd venture to guess.

Damn that cane toad! Is there anything that stops it?

I believe a I saw a program that dealt with eradicating them, and there was some success with keeping the juveniles down, but I can't remember what or how it was being done.

I think a 6.5M olive would be a sight to behold, wow!
 
Again, excellent info! I'm pretty sure we can get Olives here, but I'm not sure of the lines/purity.

I didn't realize the mulga was a hot. That would be your king cobra equivalent there I'd venture to guess.

It's not as toxic as some of our other elapids but yields a large amount of venom like the king cobra. I've heard a few Western Australians refer to it as the pilbara cobra.

Damn that cane toad! Is there anything that stops it?

Apart from kids with golf clubs, no unfortunately. The keelback snake can consume young toads and tadpoles without becoming ill. And crows have learnt to flip them over and eat their stomachs as the belly skin dosent contain bufo toxin .

I believe a I saw a program that dealt with eradicating them, and there was some success with keeping the juveniles down, but I can't remember what or how it was being done.

id be interested to see this program if you could recall the name of it?

I think a 6.5M olive would be a sight to behold, wow!
my thoughts exactly!
 
My memory is a bit fuzzy, but I think the program had mentioned most strategies were failing but this was showing promise. http://www.smh.com.au/environment/c...ds-own-toxin-against-them-20120613-209pf.html

I wish I could remember the program, I thought maybe NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, but I'm not really certain.

Interesting read, theirs another study being conducted in Western Australia, where they're exposing wild goannas to toads to turn them off the taste so they don't see them as a prey item.

http://www.sciencewa.net.au/topics/...y-goannas-trained-in-cane-toad-taste-aversion

the story also mentions olive pythons eating the goannas they're studying.
 
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