Snake eating a fish pics

[Edmund]

My friend studies bats at MU in Columbia, MO, and while out on a trip she came across this snake (don't know what kind) munching down on a fish. Pretty cool to see, I thought. Anyone know what kind of snake this is?

[Edmund]

Another...

[dovetailthis]

That is the coolest.

I've never seen a snake eat a fish before. I've seen a turtle and a lizard do it but never a snake.

Thanks for sharing any body else got some pictures like that?

Aaron

[Susan]

I find it extremely interesting that the snake is eating the fish tail-first! You would think it would be easier to do it head-first because of the scales.

[dovetailthis]

Maybe he will consider your imput next time.

(((Someone!!!))) Please tell the snake.

Aaron

[Drizzt80]

Susan, my first thought wasn't due to the scales, but the dorsal fin. I wonder what type of fish that is (as well as the snake) because most of the fish we have in our lakes up here in ND have a spiney dorsal fin, and that is not conducive to swallowing backwards!

D80

[stuart]

garter snakes eat fish, thats not a garter snake, but sum1 said they had never seen a snake eat a fish, buy a garter and all ull be able to buy it is goldfish lol. i bet its cool to watch tho, cos u put the fish in the water bowl (alive) and the garter snaps it out ...

[Amanda E]

Looks like a water snake to me. You supposedly have 5 different species and one subspecies in Missouri. I looked at the ranges and it's probably the same type as the one's that live here (Ohio), the Northern Water Snake (Nerodia sipedon sipedon). Ours aren't nearly as vibrant though. Most of the water snakes here are very dark so that you can barely make out the pattern. But then again different localities look different.

[Edmund]

Thanks for the info, Amanda. I lightened up those pictures quite a bit in Photoshop so you could see what was going on. So I'm not sure how bright his colors/pattern really are.

[carol]

My first snake (I believe I was 12) died because he ate a goldfish backwards. Ate them head first for years, I don't know why he tried doing it different. :confused:

[J_Daniels]

all I know is that I wouldn't want to have to cleen up after that guy if you know what I mean.

I've heard that when snakes eat eggs or fish that the excrement is... less than pleasant.:sidestep:

[Amanda E]

Originally posted by J_Daniels
I've heard that when snakes eat eggs or fish that the excrement is... less than pleasant.:sidestep:

Oh yeah! I cared for an injured water snake for a while last year and his feces were unbelievable. I don't know if it was because he was WC and possibly had parasites or if it was just the fish, but I could barely walk into the room after he had let loose. The feces were very runny and green as well.

[J_Daniels]

WOW, what a great description! :D

[norbert03]

eat fishies, too. my first snake, herbert loooooved gold fish. watching a snake eat a fish is a lot cooler than watching them eat a mouse in my opinion

[Jimmy Johnson]

The fish that the water snake is eating is a Yellow Perch.
I once saw a copperhead eating a small catfish.
My brother and I were fishing and saw it on the bank.
It was eating the catfish head first though.

[shibbyherphuntr]

hi i do agree, it looks like a northern watersnake ( nerodia sipedon, or aka nasty bite- snake ) lol there called nasty bite- snakes because they have long teeth and bite repeatedly. but yes ive seen snakes eat fish, i have 2 ribbon snakes (thamnophis sauritus aka long-tailed bush - snake) which mainly eat fish and sometimes frogs. i also had a garter snake but it died:( . but my ribbon snake fascinate me because they will eat fillets of fish and live ones 2. sometimes my ribbons eat the fish backwards and it doesnt hurt em. lol i guess they swallow it which ever way they can get it first.....

[crossmen]

I think there are to many strips for it to be a yellow perch it may be a log perch. See attached photo. Yea I am freak.
Peace
Paul

[Slippery Ernie]

Dredging another one up from the deep:

I used to keep those snakes as a kid. Looks like a northern water snake to me too. Anyway, yes their poop does stink. It doesn't smell like poop and it doesn't smell like fish. But it is nasty. Lots of white powder in it when it dries too.

I watched mine try to swallow a bluegill backwards. He got to the dorsal fin spines and couldn't go any further. He quickly let go and grabbed the head and swallowed it the right way. So I guess they know what they're doing.

I gave mine a frog and he didn't know what to do with it. Started swallowing it backwards but gave up and the frog got away :). Gave him a mouse and he completely ignored it. But drop a flopping fish in the cage, and he would come flying at it from across the cage and tackle it.

[Billybobob]

From your post it seems like you know that this thread is a year old. So my Question is why bring it back? I don't think any one is sill looking for a reply to this one. :sidestep: :cheers:

[TrpnBils]

WOW, what a great description! :D
Exactly. But hopefully next time there'll be pictures because I don't think that this description was quite clear enough. :-puke01:

[TrpnBils]

From your post it seems like you know that this thread is a year old. So my Question is why bring it back? I don't think any one is sill looking for a reply to this one. :sidestep: :cheers:
Who cares? I thought it was interesting anyway....if we weren't supposed to look at or reply to old posts, then they'd all be locked or deleted after a certain amount of time :shrugs:

[cka]

I'm a big fan of northerns myself, so it was of interest to me too :grin01:, and i sure don't remember seeing it a year ago.

I saw a big northern wrestle an eel out of the water onto shore some years back. The eel was about the same size as the snake, but that bad boy subdued the eel and swallowed it not ten feet from where i was fishing. Neat snakes, one of these days I'll break down and set up a cage for one.

[Billybobob]

there is nothing wrong with looking at old post but most on this forum don't like it when people bring back old post that are not necessary to bring back. Do a search on "old thread" or the "foul art of necromancy" and you will see what i am talking about. I just think it would have been better to start a new thread, but with the topic of fish eating snakes and there poop most would ignore it. :cheers:

[Roy Munson]

Some ancient threads are more appropriately resurrected than others. Replies to years-old 'For Sale' forum threads, or responses to questions posted two years ago aren't cool. But this thread was interesting, and the resurrection reply was on topic, so I think it's cool. Some forums strongly encourage the use of old threads over opening new ones on the same topics. This forum seems to lean the other way.

My $.02 (I know... who cares?)

[Taceas]

Nifty. I've seen water snakes, but I've never seen them corral and eat fish. Most of the ones I've seen were in the shallows among the grass, so I just figured they were hunting frogs. Nasty tempered snakes. But I guess they have to be ill tempered if they should happen to swallow fish backwards, kind of how swallowing a french fry the wrong way hurts I guess. =P


Well said Dean! I'd much rather people tack on a related experience to an older thread than starting up a whole new one. Ernie had to have done a search to find this one for sure.

Not to mention it'd save time for the hapless victim when BBB tells someone to do the infamous search. More information on one thread, than 15 threads about the same darn thing. :rolleyes:

[Roy Munson]

there is nothing wrong with looking at old post but most on this forum don't like it when people bring back old post that are not necessary to bring back. Do a search on "old thread" or the "foul art of necromancy" and you will see what i am talking about. I just think it would have been better to start a new thread, but with the topic of fish eating snakes and there poop most would ignore it. :cheers:

I don't think your perspective on this is wrong, or invalid. Each of us probably has some ideal we hold in our minds of how this board should work and be organized. Unfortunately, these ideals will rarely be the same from member to member. Expressing your opinion about this wasn't a bad thing. :)

But I'm way off-topic here. Let's get back to the fishy-poop talk. ;)

[albinomaster]

:eek1: thats just weird, yet totally awesome!! :eats02: