Reptile & Amphibian Forums

if a predator gets it by the head? Does anyone know? u see all these pictures of rat snakes wrapped around hawks that nailed them in the head but what does an indigo do?

It gets eaten.

>>if a predator gets it by the head? Does anyone know? u see all these pictures of rat snakes wrapped around hawks that nailed them in the head but what does an indigo do?

(((if a predator gets it by the head? Does anyone know? u see all these pictures of rat snakes wrapped around hawks that nailed them in the head but what does an indigo do?)))

When it comes to hawks:
1. Better eyesight (than some snakes), good reflexes (for its' size), and good crawling speed (for a snake of its' size) tends to help it avoid being pounded in the head in the first place.
2. It tries to avoid being pounded in the head by not basking in open spots until it reaches a good size (approx. 5.5 feet ). Some of the younger Indigos I've observed in the wild do tend to stay closer to, or even inside thicker growths of vegetation. It is also interesting to note that Indigos (because of their dark coloration) do not need to, and will not bask as long as other snakes and tend to be on the move more so, thus reducing the chances of being grabbed perfectly by the head as well.
3. If all else fails and it gets seized by the head, it will usually thrash about wildly (even risking breaking its' own neck in the process). This has been known to work very well with a lot of species of snakes (especially water snakes). With some Indigos being good sized and quite strong (for their size), I imagine they would have a decent chance of getting away after the predator gets thrashed about a few times...
4. As Doug says - if all else fails (or the predator is a larger animal): It gets eaten....

So far I havn't seen or observed any hawks attacking an Indigo (though I'm sure it happens from time to time, especially with young Indigos), so this is the best I can do for now.
-----
"I am an expert on everything, but I know so little and have so much to learn!" -Carsten "Zee" Zoldy-

have u seen any animals prey on adults?

feral hog eat all snakes...

pigs are cute but how do they kill a 8 foot snake?

attack in a pack....stomp it ....chew it....etc...

Delicious yes. Cute?

An 8 foot drymarchon would be easily killed and consumed by a feral hog. A determined feral cat could take one too.

USF&W should have made Feral Hogs and Cats the real enemy in South Florida... and everywhere else. Then instead of fighting them, we'd be helping.

Doug T

Doug Taylor Reptiles

Exactly right, Doug!

>>pigs are cute but how do they kill a 8 foot snake?

Have you ever seen a large feral hog? They can hit 300 lbs pretty easily.
-----
We wouldn't have 6 and a half billion people if you had to be beautiful to get laid.
6.6 African House snakes
3.2 reticulated pythons
.1 corn snake
4.2 Florida Kings
1.2 speckled kings
1.2 ball pythons
0.0.1 Argentine boa

yes they are NOt predators though as fat and hungry as they might be i cant ever see one attacking a 8 foot snake i have seen birds sitting on top of feral hogs and the pigs do nothing to the birds also seen frogs living in a hog mud pond they are not predators

they might eat small snakes and things but its probably by mistake

pig behavior/diet.....you will be enlightened....also there's a film .."SNATCH".....starring brad pitt....watch that....also an hbo series "DEADWOOD'.....there's some swine behavoir clips.....

THAT IS WHAT I DID AND COULD NOT FIND ANY INFO SO I CAME HERE 2 GET IT BUT U HIJACKED MY THREAD AND TURNED IT INTO A JOKE

hey sorry ignore my last message that was not to you it was to someone else i got mxied up

anyway yeah i saw a docu on it and read about them taking lambs and sometiems even poultry but usually when the other animal is totally helpless never read anything about them preying on something that was large and was going to put up a fight

like on a nature docu i saw a baby croc bite a warthog the hog just ran away when it could of easily eaten the baby crock

from documentary and reading they seem to take prey items that wouldnt put much much of a fuss

small snakes baby animals like lambs chicks eggs etc..

i know they can be very aggressive from what i watched but the agression seems to be just in self defense or out of fear not predatory aggression

Your last post reminded me of another way Indigos try to avoid becoming a meal to larger predators that I forgot to mention earlier:
Bluffing. When it comes to bluffing Bull snakes and Pine snakes are probably the best at it (and putting on a very noisy show). But a wild Indigo puts on a little show too (when threatened/cornered) by raising its head and neck off the ground and flattening it vertically. It then proceeds to crawl slowly in an awkward almost stiff manner while letting out a low sounding hiss at the same time. This is sometimes enough to make a predator (and even some Florida residents unfortunately), think that the now enlarged neck on an Indigo could be a large venom sack and the hiss and menacing crawl is a warning saying "If you come any closer, you're gonna get it!" If that fails, the Indigo will strike, but usually only with its' mouth closed - but that is still sufficient to chase away a lot of predators and has even caused its' own death due to ignorant humans who kill them believing it is a large poisonous snake... So if it can fool some humans (who are suppose to be the smartest animal on the planet), you can be sure that it could also fool other large animals including feral hogs/pigs....
-----
"I am an expert on everything, but I know so little and have so much to learn!" -Carsten "Zee" Zoldy-

one thing i noticed though about indigos is a lot of them do not even bluff or bite when u pick them up? The wild adults will just let someone handle them and not even put up a fight which is shocking because isnt that the same as letting a preditor just come and eat them up ?

I Noticed wild mussies dont trty to fight or bite either when u grab them

snake like racers, pines and even rat snakes will put up one hell of a fuss tho if u catch a wild one

I am a class III commerical collector and I doubt anyone has seen more Indigos in the wild than I have here in 40 years in Sarasota Fl, I have been collecting snakes since I was 12, my friends think I have a cape and most agree that very few people have spent as much time in the woods as I have, at least here in cent fla, Im not posting to brag but maybe you'll believe me when I say that when hunting areas that have been burned leaving no real ground cover the snakes will move great distances and when pigs do find them even a single young pig will attack and eat any snake even the eastern diamondback, I'm sure you may not believe this but its true, In fact as offten as I find carcasses I would say snakes are a main staple in the pig diet, I also find ribbons and coachwhips and racers dead as well in thoese burns but they dont seem to care too much for the little snakes it seem they would prefer the larger snakes, pigs are very aggressive and no snake no matter how big will stop a hungry pig, as I said even diamondbacks get eaten. and BTW of the 60 or so Indigos I have seen none were more than 6 foot or less than 30", the juvies are timid, but one 5 footer was 3&1/2 inches wide from eating pigfrogs after a flood in the woods, so in my opinion 8' Indigos only occour in collections. as for the hawks, I'm certain they prey on smaller snakes but I sometimes like to let my big snakes outside and crawl around in my yard on sunny mornings and I have seen hawks in the trees watching my snake, advidly too but they have never attacked any of my big snakes even when I'm inside the house looking out, seems they dont want to fight for the meal where a pig has zero fear of any snake no matter what kind of bluff or length or toxin the snake has to offer. I also know lots of pighunters, some think pigs are immune to EDR venomn, just suffer a little swelling. IMO These are the contenders big snakes face in order, first roads, then pigs, then fire ants destroying eggs and juvinile snakes, then habitat loss/development, then collection. also IMO big snakes stand no chance for any long term survival anywhere in cent- south fla, but the small snakes will always be around as long as there are woods and lizards.

so is it just a wild pig thing tho? we had a pet pot belly pig as a kid and it never ate frogs or snakes

I thought you might be thinking of pot bellys, the reference to them being cute, no, feral hog are not cute and I am astonished that the feds dont exterminate them at once, even after three hundred years of decimenting fla's habitat, guess they like the commerce from hunting permit holders.

Ran across this article on a local herp website.

http://texas-wildlife.org/files/Herp depredation.pdf

Though no Drymarchon are specifically cited in the stomach contents, it's not a stretch of the imagination to say they likely do wind up there from time to time. As it turns out, wild pigs are a pure nuisance for lots of living things, plant and animal.
-----
Chance Duncan
Science Teacher, Herp Enthusiast, and Reptilian Conservation Proponent
www.rvexotics.com

poison 1981, if you ever put your hands on the "Rattlesnakes..." classic by Mr. Klauber, you can read that boars AND farmed pigs are ackowledged predators of snakes which are not only faking to be harmful!

glock 9mm

Be sure to VOTE out those liberal incumbents in office so you can KEEP that 9mm!!! (Criminals shouldn't be the only ones to have guns)!
Sorry - I couldn't resist.......
-----
"I am an expert on everything, but I know so little and have so much to learn!" -Carsten "Zee" Zoldy-

didn't vote for 'em ......missed you in west texas....

That's right ...... I was suppose to be there (in West Texas).
But something bad happened back in June and some of my family really needed my help and support.
I just couldn't make it this time....Sorry.
-----
"I am an expert on everything, but I know so little and have so much to learn!" -Carsten "Zee" Zoldy-

sorry to hear that.....are you in va???.....i'm in norfolk area from time to time.....but i live in philly area

Thanks.
One day we'll have to meet. Right now I am little busy and I will be in Afghanistan again in early August for a few more months. Sure wish I could be at home more often, but that will have to wait....
-----
"I am an expert on everything, but I know so little and have so much to learn!" -Carsten "Zee" Zoldy-

wow...i go down south philly and think i'm at risk.....wear your armor....i don't know what you do....but it maybe why people are able to feel safe..here at home

this has nothing to do with my topic seriously thanks for RUINING MY WHOLE TOPIC no one even added any info to the original question because of you ruining the whole thing what a waste!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

wow.....this sometimes happens....on the bright side....we read your post.....they can't really protect themselves...except by biting....which would be ineffective vs any larger predator....their best defense is to be vigilent and crawl off before a true confrontation...perhaps the size may be a behavioral intimation factor to some possible predators.....but i don't know of any real study that has been published regarding this issue.....how's that????