![]() When animals die, there is usually a larger carnivore that finds it and eats it, so snakes rarely find recently dead food.Īs such, snakes have to forage and hunt for food. Why is it that Most Snakes are not Scavengers? Some pythons also eat butchered feral hogs. There are many studies showing that snakes scavenge for fish, frogs, snakes, and birds. ![]() Scavenging is an important aspect of an ecosystem. In the wild, scientists noted that dead animals are scavenged rather than left alone for decomposition. There are more than 55 genera of cobras and 360 species. Elapidae – the elapids are venomous snakes that include the black mamba and the king cobra.Boidae – these are boas and pythons these snakes are non-venomous, and they include the green anaconda, the Timor python, African rock python, and many others.Many people consider this family as a sub-family of the Coubridae. Acrochordidae – these are aquatic snakes typically found in the eastern coast of Asia.Viperidae – snakes in this family are the vipers such as the cottonmouths, rattlesnakes, copperheads, green vipers, etc.Colubridae – these snakes include the Green Tree, Brown Tree, Freshwater, and garter snakes.Here are the families of snakes that are known to scavenge: They typically look for carcasses of rodents, fish, frogs, and other snakes. ![]() In the wild, there are studies showing that pit vipers and other piscivorous snakes scavenge. Live feeding is generally discouraged as the snakes can get wounds from the prey’s bites. Live animals also carry parasites and bacteria, which can harm the snake. Owners do not want to feed live animals to the snakes for fear of the snakes getting hurt. They are in a cage and the only option they have is to eat thawed mice or rats. In captivity, many snakes are scavengers because they have no choice. Snakes would only eat a carron if the environment is safe and it is hungry. While scavenging is part of their activities, they hunt and forage as well.Ī true scavenger is an animal that eats nothing but carrion (dead meat), like the Turkey vulture. Generally, snake is not a true scavenger. Active hunting is a process by which a snake feels vibrations on the ground for movement, and then the snake follows that vibration.Ĭoupled with its sense of smell and heat vision, the snake comes close and strikes the prey.
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