Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was just wondering are indigos found in the ssame areas as these snakes? If they are does the same thing apply? Indigos usually eat them dispite the other snakes size? I wonder if a 8 foot indigo would eat a 8 foot chicken/pine/gopher snake?

Chris Harrison (chrish) often frequents this forum and has been kind enough to provide some excellent photography of D. m rubidus in the wild. One series of photos he posted stands out in my mind, as he photographed a D. m rubidus feeding upon a Trimorphodon spp.in a mango tree in Southwestern Mexico. I recall the Trimorph was as big if not slightly larger then the D. m rubidus. I also recall Chris indicating the Trimorph was alive up until the point the D. m rubidus completely ingested it.
Personally, I have never found Pituophis m mugitus within immediate D. couperi territory, but I am certain they cross paths on occasion. Having kept both species, I would certainly believe D. couperi would not hesitate to dispatch a P. m mugitus of equal, or slightly larger, size and feed upon it.

Best regards,

Jeff
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Jeff Snodgres
University of Arkansas
snodgresjeffreys@uams.edu
501.603.1947

Ok I get confused with all the scientific names I am assuming D. m rubidus is an indigo snake and the other is a Pine? or Gopher?

Girth wise does an Indigo have a much thicker girth then pine/gopher of the same size?

Sorry about that. Yes, D. m rubidus are commonly known as Mexican West Coast Indigos or Mexican red-tail Indigos, with the latter being a bit misleading. The Pituophis m mugitus is commonly known as the Florida or Southern Pine Snake, while the Trimorphodon biscutatus is commonly known as the Texas Lyre Snake.
While I have had and encountered a few Pits in the wild harboring good girth, I have yet to encounter one as heavy bodied as a Dry of relative size...

Best regards,

Jeff
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Jeff Snodgres
University of Arkansas
snodgresjeffreys@uams.edu
501.603.1947

The Trimorphodon was longer than the Indigo. It was probably around 5-6 feet long. It had also eaten a large rat (?) prior to being caught by the indigo and the lump was noticeably larger than diameter of the indigo.

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Chris Harrison
San Antonio, Texas

You have managed to capture some of the best images of Drys in the wild. Everytime I see you post, and there's a photo tag attached to your message, I get all giddy inside!
Oh, and yes, those are the photos I was referring too!

Much thanks for sharing,

Jeff
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Jeff Snodgres
University of Arkansas
snodgresjeffreys@uams.edu
501.603.1947

I've spent 20 years hunting snakes in fla and can say I have never found a pinesnake or sheds in the vicinity of indigos and infact I do belive indigos clean their homerange of all other species,I know of a few locations where indigos are as common as racers but never see any other speices there. Once I found a 5' female indogo swimming her head in the sand and as I approached she emerged with (get this) a ringneck in her mouth! and as for girth the 7 foot male pine I had 10 years ago when puffed and hissing was 3" at mid body so...and once I found a 6' male indigo in a flooded area of woods and he was full of 6" pig frogs and I mean full 4" wide at mid body and full for 2 foot....JB

Nice pic - is that a wild one?
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I am so not lesdysxic!

0.1 Creamsicle Cornsake "Yolanda"
1.0 Bairds Ratsnake "Steely Dan"
0.1 Desert Kingsnake "FATTY"
0.1 Black Rat (WV Rescue) "Roberta"

Quit enhancing those photos! ;0)

Jeff
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Jeff Snodgres
University of Arkansas
snodgresjeffreys@uams.edu
501.603.1947

I take it you like that one, its not altered and I have more eastern pics like that to build an "extreme indigo photo calander"... heres another JB

I'm just jealous of your photography! Everyone here knows I absolutely suck at photography!
Great looking couperi! I recall finding a couple of specimens harboring an even greater amount of red on Homestead Air Force Base, as both literally harbored solid red heads and I have yet to see another specimen equal to those two.

Thanks for the trip down memory lane,

Jeff
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Jeff Snodgres
University of Arkansas
snodgresjeffreys@uams.edu
501.603.1947