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Water moccasin eating road kill.

Posted on 8/25/16 at 8:55 pm
Posted by bhtigerfan
Baton Rouge
Member since Sep 2008
29491 posts
Posted on 8/25/16 at 8:55 pm
I was driving to the store a little while ago and there's a dead armadillo in the road a couple blocks from here (marsh one one side and woods on the other). Well as I pass by the armadillo in the other lane, I noticed a large snake on the carcass. I backed up and got out my flashlight and sure enough it was about a 2' long water mocassin. It slowly slithered onto the grass shoulder and I drove off. On the way back 15 minutes later, he was back eating it again, but I didn't run him over.

I thought they only killed and ate live prey, didn't think they were scavengers?

Sorry no pics, but 100% it was a mocassin.
Posted by Spankum
Miss-sippi
Member since Jan 2007
56052 posts
Posted on 8/25/16 at 8:59 pm to
reinforces my impression of a water moccasin as a nasty creature...

not really sure how they could take a bite of anything, though. I suppose it could swallow chunks of rotten shite if it could find something loose. may also be looking for a rat or something else that comes for a bite.
Posted by Rhino5
Atlanta
Member since Nov 2014
28907 posts
Posted on 8/25/16 at 8:59 pm to
That's fricked if true. Those things suck.
Posted by wickowick
Head of Island
Member since Dec 2006
45814 posts
Posted on 8/25/16 at 9:04 pm to
What was he eating on it? I thought they only ate stuff they killed
Posted by Spider John
Nola
Member since Apr 2014
974 posts
Posted on 8/25/16 at 9:07 pm to
Used to have a creek that backed up to my backyard at lsu. We de-breasted a bunch of ducks once and threw the carcass across the creek. The next day we saw a mocassin had dragged it into the water and was trying to swallow it
Posted by bhtigerfan
Baton Rouge
Member since Sep 2008
29491 posts
Posted on 8/25/16 at 9:09 pm to
The armadillo looked like some vultures had torn it open and I think it was eating from inside the carcass.

I was pretty shocked to see it also. It's not like it has teeth to tear flesh from a carcass.
Posted by bhtigerfan
Baton Rouge
Member since Sep 2008
29491 posts
Posted on 8/25/16 at 9:12 pm to
quote:

dragged it into the water and was trying to swallow it
I can see that, but he's not swallowing an armadillo carcass.
Posted by jimjackandjose
Member since Jun 2011
6498 posts
Posted on 8/25/16 at 9:58 pm to
Killed a moccasin on some rocks on bank of tickfaw. 2 hrs later killed another one with the dead one half in its belly
Posted by bhtigerfan
Baton Rouge
Member since Sep 2008
29491 posts
Posted on 8/25/16 at 11:41 pm to
Guess they are scavengers also.
Posted by 911Moto
Member since Sep 2013
5491 posts
Posted on 8/26/16 at 3:04 am to
I'd have to see this to believe it. Snakes swallow prey, and generally only stuff they just killed (or still alive). Hell, my pets that are conditioned to be fed thawed mice and are expecting it every time I open the cage often won't take the mouse if I don't get the temperature up into the 90s. They'll nose right up to it and then refuse it at room temperature. I heat it up near body temp, and they hit it instantly. And snakes lack the type of teeth to tear away flesh or body parts and eat it. I couldn't even imagine a 5 ft. moccasin trying to swallow an armadillo. Are you saying a 2 ft. snake was literally trying to get his mouth around the head of the armadillo and not just poking around to see what's up?

ETA: I just researched it a bit, and a herpetology publication actually cites 50 observed instances of scavenging (43 in the field, 7 in the lab). So I guess it does occur. I never would have believed it though.
This post was edited on 8/26/16 at 3:09 am
Posted by Tigertown in ATL
Georgia foothills
Member since Sep 2009
29206 posts
Posted on 8/26/16 at 6:59 am to
quote:

15 minutes later, he was back eating it again, but I didn't run him over.



The worst part of the story.
Posted by Teague
The Shoals, AL
Member since Aug 2007
21696 posts
Posted on 8/26/16 at 7:54 am to
A lot of snakes will eat already dead animals. However, they're not all smart enough to know what they can and can't swallow. It probably just smelled food and was trying to figure out how to eat it. However, indigos, which are non constrictors and have powerful jaws, have been observed tearing meat off of dead prey.
This post was edited on 8/26/16 at 9:10 am
Posted by Motorboat
At the camp
Member since Oct 2007
22687 posts
Posted on 8/26/16 at 8:35 am to
hard times out there for snakes
Posted by SportTiger1
Stonewall, LA
Member since Feb 2007
28504 posts
Posted on 8/26/16 at 9:17 am to
quote:

hard times out there for snakes


Not hard enough.
Posted by bhtigerfan
Baton Rouge
Member since Sep 2008
29491 posts
Posted on 8/26/16 at 7:33 pm to
quote:

I'd have to see this to believe it.
Yeah, I was pretty surprised to see it myself, but it was really determined because it slithered away and was back at it shortly afterwards.
quote:

ETA: I just researched it a bit, and a herpetology publication actually cites 50 observed instances of scavenging (43 in the field, 7 in the lab). So I guess it does occur. I never would have believed it though. 
Make that 51 instances. Thanks for the info. Learn something new every day.
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