Reptile & Amphibian Forums

It was feeding time this weekend at the house. I've had this cottonmouth for just over a year now. He usually eats rodents but this time I decided to try something different. I've had a dead water snake in my freezer for several months and I wanted to see what would happen if I put it in the cage with the cottonmouth. I thawed it out and tossed it in. The cottonmouth ate it immediately. Without hesitation. I barely had time to take any pictures, which is why this one isn't very good. Thought y'all might find it interesting. It's no king cobra or anything like that but still kind of cool.

RP

Not sure where the photo of the EDB came from. It's an old one I posted on here many years ago. It had nothing to do with the feeding.

Yup, cottonmouths will even eat carrion.

Which raises the question: Biologically I've seen cannibalism defined as a species eating another member of its own species. If a snake eats another snake species, is it cannibalism? I've seen it described both ways and I'm curious to hear what others think.

Good question. My thoughts are that cannibalism would be of the same species. One species eating another species would just be predatory.
Just my thoughts.
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1.0 Albino American alligator, "Smoke"
1.1 American alligator,"Al Bite Ya & Molly"
1.1 Purple Albino Reticulated Pythons, "Gumbo & Abita"
0.1 Eastern Gaboon Viper, "Gabbie" Recently passed away at 24 years old
Help me find this snake!

Wow!! I have heard at the museum in our city (Pink Palace) had taken an x-ray of a fully grown Eastern Cottonmouth that had a Copperhead inside of it.
Now all we need to see is a Cal King eating a Monocled Cobra!!!! Not that it would be a good thing and the likelihood of seeing that would be slimmer than chances of one seeing the mokele-mbembe.

Early in my career, I once housed a juvinile Purple-spot with a like-sized Eyelash viper, and when I walked in one morning to check on them, there was about 2" visible of the Eyelash's tail protruding from the Purple-spots mouth. LOL!

Randal Berry

There is a picture in a book that shows a egyptian cobra that ate a egyptian cobra that ate a egyptian cobra that ate a house snake.That was very cool I do not remember the book but I bet some one here does.
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Archie Bottoms

I read a study of the stomach contents of wild cottonmouths that included everything from insects to turtles to other snakes. In fact snakes were fairly common and even included several that had eaten smaller cottonmouths...
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What goes up must come down...unless it exceeds escape velocity.

Water Moccasins are way cool, very underappreciated and a great choice for a first hot. I had a long term field collected that would pretty much eat anything. Chicken necks, hot dogs, finger mullet, etc. Not that that would be recommended, but by trial and experimentation over the years, it was offered and accepted! I would say they get fat and lazy, but mine was fat and lazy when I got it too. I wish more people that kept them would sing their praises on the forums.