Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Just want to toss this one around you guys, since I am mainly an eastern Kingsnake guy. I do have one 5.5 foot wild caught male brooksi that has been feeding on rats & mice. I found a very large (just short of 4 foot) copperhead near my house a couple of days ago. I have always been told (mainly by literature) that brooksi are primarily rodent eaters in the wild, but when I put the large copperhead into my brooksi's cage he attacked the copperhead as if I hadn't fed him all year! Then he ate him in a matter of about an hour (the copperhead was quite large). I was surprised, since I've always believed that brooksi shuns away from ophidian prey and prefers rodents instead (like pituophis does). My question is:
Do Florida Kings eat other snakes regularly if given the chance like Easterns do? Or do they pass on them unless really starved?
Thanks for any input,

ZEE

For all of you in NC: I went road cruising last wednesday evening and found zero kings - but I DID find three handsome corn snakes within thirty minutes - one was yellow!

Getting more educated EVERY DAY!!!

Forgot to mention: Yes, the copperhead WAS very alive and DID bite the brooksi many times but that didn't matter to the Kingsnake. It was still a good dinner to him. . .

Zee

why did you even put it in with him?

Zee

Yeah those Floridana will get down and dirty with a snake for sure. Im sure those Floridana hatch out and wail on baby Corns and Watersnakes. Did those Easterns hatch out yet ? I tried callin you but I couldnt get thru.

Keith
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Zee. I am surprized you would put a live copper in with your king--if you value the king. Although I'm sure he was on the copper like a duck on a june bug, you still took a big risk. A fang could've punctured the king in many places- some vital. I once saw a friend "toss" a pigmy in with his king and the king quickly grabbed the li'l guy. A few min. later the pigmy had gaped his mouth and had enough strength to bite down. Unfortunately for the king, one fang penetrated his eye. Permanent loss of sight/eye is not something I think you would like being responsible for. I know my buddy felt horrible about his.
That said, FL kings love to eat snakes just like most others and in fact some seem "hard wired" for it as hatchlings.
:Mark

That states:

The largest kingsnakes today tend to be the rodent-gorged monsters that come out of the cane fields around Lake Okeechobee in southcentral Florida. But the kingsnakes of this artificially rich, man-made environment are not true Easterns, but Florida Kings (Lampropeltis getula floridana), with a few contributing genes from the Eastern King that have trickled down from the north. These are more accurately described as Peninsula intergrades. Some of these males are six feet long and as big around as a man's wrist. They tend to eschew (instead of chew) other snakes as food, which is odd for a getula. The heavy rodent diet probably accounts for their above average bulk

While there are a lot of rodents in the sugarcane fields, I have found that kings from that area will just as readily devour a racer or rat snake. Those same snakes didn't show any interest in garter snakes. I had a group of babies that I captive hatched from a couple gravid females I caught down there, and I kept them all together. I lost 4 of them to cannibalism. I've never had adults show any interest in eating each other, though. I'm not sure where the idea came from that kingsnakes from that area don't eat other snakes... They'll eat them in captivity, I don't see any reason why they wouldn't in the wild... there are plenty of snakes to be eaten in that area.
Article

Becaue you dont agree with a statement in the article does not make it a "misleading article". Thats a bit strong isnt it ? Thats obviously what Jonathan has found and its his opinion. His word isn't the end all in Kings nor is yours. Not to mention you contradicted yourself with this comment...

I've never had adults show any interest in eating each other, though.

Im not disagreeing with you but to discount another thoughts when you have no data or even personal observations of cannabilism in the wild ??? Your comment...

They'll eat them in captivity, I don't see any reason why they wouldn't in the wild... there are plenty of snakes to be eaten in that area

Am I to assume you have never witnessed a Florida King eating another snake in the wild ? It appears you are saying that in this statement. I think you need to ammend your post Nick to what you believe is a misleading sentence or statement in the article not the Article is misleading.

Keith
>>That states:
>>
>>The largest kingsnakes today tend to be the rodent-gorged monsters that come out of the cane fields around Lake Okeechobee in southcentral Florida. But the kingsnakes of this artificially rich, man-made environment are not true Easterns, but Florida Kings (Lampropeltis getula floridana), with a few contributing genes from the Eastern King that have trickled down from the north. These are more accurately described as Peninsula intergrades. Some of these males are six feet long and as big around as a man's wrist. They tend to eschew (instead of chew) other snakes as food, which is odd for a getula. The heavy rodent diet probably accounts for their above average bulk
>>
>>While there are a lot of rodents in the sugarcane fields, I have found that kings from that area will just as readily devour a racer or rat snake. Those same snakes didn't show any interest in garter snakes. I had a group of babies that I captive hatched from a couple gravid females I caught down there, and I kept them all together. I lost 4 of them to cannibalism. I've never had adults show any interest in eating each other, though. I'm not sure where the idea came from that kingsnakes from that area don't eat other snakes... They'll eat them in captivity, I don't see any reason why they wouldn't in the wild... there are plenty of snakes to be eaten in that area.
>>Article
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You are correct in assuming I have never seen a wild FL king eating a snake. In fact, I've never seen a wild FL king eating anything. I have had recently caught FL kings regurgitate their most recent wild meals... including rats, turtle eggs, and other snakes. I have also heard of FL kings eating yellow rats that were placed in the same pillow case when caught. I've also found 2 kings under the same piece of cover at the same time, and a friend I was hunting with found a big rat snake under a piece of metal, with 2 kingsnakes. Of course the kings were dwarfed by the rat snake... Last thanksgiving weekend, I caught a juvenile Florida king, and a couple ringnecks, and thew them in a shoe box together. The king tried to eat one of the ringnecks, and then ended up getting bit on the glottis. I pulled the ringneck off and the snake was okay. I think it is safe to assume that kings in this area will eat other snakes in the wild. Would you assume that if a snake ate/attempted to eat (on a cold day) a prey item that was readily available in its area, within a couple hours of capture, that it ate that in the wild?

It is true that the entire article is not misleading, just the quoted statement, per my opinion and findings.

Like I said before I dont disagree with you as I too believe Floridana eat snakes or anything else it can in the wild. I mainly objected to your comment(s) regarding the article.
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