Reptile & Amphibian Forums

is it because they cannot unhinge their jaws i could of swore i read that some place?

this is why they dont eat rabbits and stuff bigger then their heads

The answer is actually quite complex. There is a book by Dean Ripa about Bushmasters. Ripa presents some ideas about Bushmasters that I think are applicable to indigos. A very short and incomplete answer to your question is that they evolved to eat frequent smaller prey because they fill a niche that needs less heat.

Get Ripa's book. You'll learn tons about Bushmasters, much of which applies to lots of other snakes.

Doug T

this rule seems to apply to all snake eatering snakes which dont seem to be able to swallow large prey as their jaws cannot open as wide?

I thought the bush master and rattle snakes etc.. could open there jaws very wide, wide enough to swallow a rabbit.

same with rat and pine snakes but not with king snakes

Unlike Rattlesnakes, adult bushmasters have similar swallowing capacity as indigos. Their heads aren't very big which limits meal size. They eat frequent smaller meals.

DT

>>this rule seems to apply to all snake eatering snakes which dont seem to be able to swallow large prey as their jaws cannot open as wide?
>>
>>I thought the bush master and rattle snakes etc.. could open there jaws very wide, wide enough to swallow a rabbit.
>>
>>same with rat and pine snakes but not with king snakes

Young bushmasters eat larger prey as they grow they eat the same size prey.An adult bushmaster likes adult mice or small rats the babys start on hopper to adult mice.
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Archie Bottoms

Good clarification. Adult mice are a pretty tiny meal for a 8 foot snake.

>>Young bushmasters eat larger prey as they grow they eat the same size prey.An adult bushmaster likes adult mice or small rats the babys start on hopper to adult mice.
>>-----
>>Archie Bottoms