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RE: Ophiophagy - instances and opinions
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by jared on December 15, 2008
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Nice, I knew i was forgettin someone, the CORALS. I love those guys, and they will eat all kinds of other snakes. I love to NA Tener ssp and lots of the C and SA ssp, awesome snakes.
Jared
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RE: Ophiophagy - instances and opinions
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by Jahon on December 15, 2008
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Jared, I noticed you type ophidiophagy instead of ophiophagy. Not in any way, shape, or form trying to be a wise guy or anything like that just wanted to see if you were making a mistake.
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RE: Ophiophagy - instances and opinions
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by SnakeEyes2006 on December 17, 2008
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Maybe off topic a little bit, but 4 years ago there was a pet store in a little town close to me, and a customer had brought in a 9 ft Green Anaconda (being upset at it) for eating its cage mate (a 7 ft Red-tailed Boa). The story I heard was the snakes grew up together in same cage,but this time things went wrong when both were fed a large rat, Anaconda must have been a little more hungry than usual?! Anyways good looking conda, but price tag to much at that time, so I passed it up...Kicking myself in rear now,but the past is the past....
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RE: Ophiophagy - instances and opinions
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by FSB on December 19, 2008
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Coral snakes indeed are ophiophagous, but missing from this list is one of the most dedicated snake eaters of all, the mussurana (Clelia ssp.). Interestingly, mussuranas are apparently immune to the venom of Bothrops, their most common venomous prey, but not to the venom of coral snakes.
Years ago, before the days of Germ-X, I learned a valuable lesson about using kingsnakes in educational programs. After giving a talk involving more than a dozen different snakes, I closed with a word about snakes as pets, for which I picked up a very docile young Florida king to demonstrate an ideal starter snake. Having assured everyone that this snake was very tame and would not bite, I noticed it suddenly stop and focus its attention intently on my fingertip. Before I could say "uh-oh" it had seized my finger and begun swallowing it as if it were a snake. The audience loved it, of course, and also loved making me eat my words about how the snake wouldn't bite.
"Ophiophagy" is the proper term... I think the confusion stems from "Ophidiophobia," the fear of snakes. Another interesting word I saw used recently in a thread here is "detritovore," or "eater of detritus." What a great insult: "You... you... detritovore!"
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RE: Ophiophagy - instances and opinions
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by AquaHerp on December 21, 2008
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In terms of the Eunectes; I had a 17 foot female at the Indianapolis Zoo many years ago that made quick work of boas. Tried it twice with the same results, fortunately the second time I was watching and recovered the boa.
Inasmuch as the mamba vs. cobra situation, Glenn or Mike have been there for over 25 years each and would think that they could answer that question.
DH
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RE: Ophiophagy - instances and opinions
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by FSB on December 21, 2008
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Some other odd instances.... I once, out of curiosity, presented a common boa to similar-sized male Dumeril's boa just to see what, if any, reaction there would be, and to my surprise, the Dumeril's immediately attacked and tried to constrict the common boa and I had a hectic few moments getting them apart. I have noticed and heard of other indications of ophiophagy in A. dumerili and from the aggressive way this one male attacked the common boa, as if it were a rat, I wouldn't be surprised if these snakes regularly eat other snakes in the wild.
When I was nine years old, I bought what was my first "venomous" snake, a Mexican vine snake (Oxybelis aeneus) for $9 from a local dealer. I was fascinated by this weird snake, even though I hated feeding it anoles, and the next time I went back to the dealer, he had another one, and I got that one too. Lacking experience with these snakes (and the internet) I put them both in the same cage and they seemed to get along fine for a few days, and even began interacting in a strange, ritualistic sort of way that I was convinced was mating behavior. With oddly jerky, halting movements, one snake would move along the other, rubbing its head gently atop the other snake's, and they seemed to be trying to entwine. I was elated, since I had read that little or nothing was known about the mating behavior of vine snakes and that they had never been bred in captivity, and in my nine-year old mind, I was certain that I was going to be the first to do so. Dreams of herpetological fame and fortune and a ticker-tape parade for being the first to breed Oxybelis aeneus literally died an ignominious death, however, as one morning I rushed downstairs to find that one of the snakes had completely swallowed the other.
I have also heard of many cases of ophiophagy involving Eunectes murinus, but never experienced it personally.
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