Reptile & Amphibian Forums

In the episode of Planet Earth where they cover CAVES, there was a snake feeding on bats. It was a slender python, but I couldn't make out what species. It looked like a carpet python, but it was hard to tell because that part was filmed with a nightvision camera. I'm pretty sure that particular cave was in Borneo. All that David Attenborough said was that it was a snake.

does anyone remember that episode? It's been bugging me since I saw it.
-----
1.0.0 Great Plains Ratsnake
1.0.0 Corn, Lavender Aztec het for Amel
0.1.0 Black Ratsnake
0.0.1 Texas Rat (tame)
1.0.0 Broad Banded Water Snake, Hypo
1.0.0 Black Bassador Retriever
2.1.0 Godchildren, 1 Evil, 2 possible hets

New Zealand. Starting at 2:35. Our villain, Coastal (I think it's a Coastal) Carpet enters from Cave Left. I can't really make out what the other snake is. Thought it may be a Children's or Spotted, but that doesn't make much sense since I believe they're mostly ground dwelling. So I think it's some kind of tree snake. In that case, they all look too similar for me to be able to distinguish the exact species.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCvHrQbnYiA&feature=related

>>New Zealand.

It isn't New Zealand. There are no snakes in New Zealand. The part about New Zealand is the Rays and Demoiselles shown off the Poor Knight's Islands. The bat/python interaction is shot in Australia.

There are two snakes in the video. One is obviously a Carpet Python. The slender snake is not a python. It looks like a Brown Treesnake (assuming that footage is from Australia - if not it could be another species of Boiga). When it captures the bat, it doesn't appear to constrict it the way most bat-hunting boids or even colubrids do. It appears to just restrain it and start chewing/eating.

Tough to tell unless you knew where that footage was shot?
-----
Chris Harrison
San Antonio, Texas

I saw that episode. I remember thinking that the one was clearly a Carpet Python, but that the other looked a lot like a Children's Python I once owned. I don't know much about the native habits of the Chidren's, but mine was not adverse to climbing and adept at taking mioe from tongs. I don't remember it using full-monty wrap&squeeze ala BC or Ratsnake - seems like she was more of a ball-python-esque fore-body only squasher. But then, that was a long time and several snakes ago.

I strikes me now (lol) that the placement of the eyes and heat pits on the sides of the Children's head looks advantageous to snagging warm food on-the-fly. I always thought they looked odd with the eyes and pits directed sidewyas...maybe this is why??

CHeers.

John
-----
I am so not lesdysxic!

0.1 Creamsicle Cornsake
1.0 Bairds Ratsnake
0.1 Desert Kingsnake
1.1 Eastern Kingsnakes