Not a garter snake but very cool!!!

[Lori P]

Ok, you all please be patient with me... I never have anyone to talk snake too, so I'm all excited to have found this forum... :-)

We have a lot of black snakes around our farm, they like to come and eat the chicken eggs. (And the baby chicks, unfortunately, when the momma hens aren't alert enough!!) So we were walking thru the woods last year one day and came across this guy-- he had woven himself into this dying tree!

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/snake_in_tree_1.JPG

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/snake_in_tree_2.JPG

I also have some pics of one of the black snakes eating an egg if anyone wants to see!!

:-) Lori

[Thamnophis]

Sure we would like to see that picture.Seems to be a Pantherophis obsoletus obsoletus in the three.

[enigma200316]

kool pic is that just one or is there two kinda looks like two diff. bodies??
it looks like a black rat snake but not to sure......:o

and yes we would love to see the other pic........:)

never mind I see it is one now, a big one though...........

[Lori P]

And you know, I was thinking to myself, gee that looks like a Pantherophis obsoletus obsoletus.... :rolleyes: LOL There goes that "greek to me" problem of mine again!!!

Justin, you know, I've always thought it was just one snake... can you see his head there, next to his tail? But maybe it was two of them!!! I just took the pics, I didn't get any closer, didn't want to bug him. Or them. :-)

[enigma200316]

no, it is just one my eyes were play tricks, thanks for sharing Lori......
and lets see the other......please!!!!!:)

[Lori P]

Ok, here are the pics of another black snake who found some eggs that one of the hens laid in this old doghouse. It was soooo cool to have stumbled upon him eating!!!

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/snake_and_egg_1.JPG

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/snake_and_egg_2.JPG

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/snake_and_egg_4.JPG

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/snake_and_egg_5.JPG

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/snake_and_egg_7.JPG

I went out one morning and was checking on new chicks... went to one of the hens in a nest box, and lifted her to check the babies... and a black snake was lying all curled up under her, nice and cozy and warm and with a full belly!! Ah well, a snake's gotta eat...

:-)

[enigma200316]

I didn't know they were egg eaters to.......:o I thought they would just eat the chicks and rodents, but it does make sense I just didn't think of it.......:eek:

[GarterGuy]

Very cool pics Lori, thanx for sharing!:D

[Stefan-A]

Very interesting pictures. Almost every snake species has eggs listed as a part of its diet, but it's rare to have it confirmed like that.

So, how did it get through the shell? The specialized egg-eating species usually break the shell and regurgitate it, but are Pantherophis species able to do the same?

[Snaky]

Very fun and interesting pictures, thanks for sharing :)

[drache]

thanks so much Lori
they're really cool pictures
now I wonder where I can get some really small eggs . . .

[Stefan-A]

thanks so much Lori
they're really cool pictures
now I wonder where I can get some really small eggs . . .
Start keeping finches, geckos (Hemidactylus species are usually prolific breeders) or anoles. :D

[enigma200316]

So, how did it get through the shell? The specialized egg-eating species usually break the shell and regurgitate it, but are Pantherophis species able to do the same?[/quote]

I don't know but its got like five in it already and working on the sixth
and I thought even the egg-eating species ate one at a time???

[Stefan-A]

Yeah, as far as I can tell, they do only eat one at a time. If it can't break those shells, it's going to have one hell of a problem in a few days. :D

[enigma200316]

Yeah, as far as I can tell, they do only eat one at a time. If it can't break those shells, it's going to have one hell of a problem in a few days. :D

hahaha, yeah tell me about it......I'm thinking it will just squeeze them to break'em or the digestion process will open them up......not really sure either way, but just a thought really........:)

[Lori P]

I would think a snake's digestive enzymes could eat thru the shell? After all, what is a shell but mostly calcium, right... or maybe the enzymes soften to shell to where it crackles apart? An egg isn't hard to break on its side...

I've left some fresh eggs in with my ball python, Fluffy, and she has done nothing but use them as head rests... lol. I was thinking maybe she'd go for them. She likes baby chicks (no, not mine, lol I buy her frozen!! And that's still hard, I do love my chickens...) Maybe a softer shelled egg like the finches that Stephan mentioned...

:-)

[lampy]

Darn it wish we in the uk had loads of wild snakes to come accross! although did see an article in a paper were a grass snake (named hissing sid!) was busy emptying some one goldfish pond of its goldfish!

[Lulu Bennett]

wow lori they are some cool pics you have there :D

[Gijs & Sabine]

Those are geat pictures, Lori !! Thanks for sharing :)
If you have more pics like this ........:rolleyes:

[adamanteus]

Excellent photos, Lori!

[Serpentine99]

Yeah, as far as I can tell, they do only eat one at a time. If it can't break those shells, it's going to have one hell of a problem in a few days. :D

Just a random story, the other day after a cross country meet, the whole boys team went to a local deli that's famous for one thing, their R.I.P. Hot Wings. 3 of the boys got sample Platters consisting of R.I.P. Wings(Hottest), Criers(2nd Hottest),Hot Hots(3rd Hottest) and milds, two of each type. I was low on cash and could only afford a cheesesteak, but I knew they're would be plenty wings left for me to scavenge. The cook actually had to come out and explain the wings to us because he didn't think the boys knew what they had purchased. We told him we wanted them extra hot and when we all dug in people were knocking others over for bread and soda screaming "I can't feel my face!":D One 17 year old kid on our team, who's dream was to enter a hot wings competition, ate 4 RIP's, 4 criers, and 5 hot hots. since I didn't buy them, all I got away with were 2 criers and 2 hot hot's dipped in the RIP sauce. The cook offered the 17 year old ice cream shortly after he was done, and the reason was so he could shove it up his a** the next morning.:eek: We thought he was kidding. Two of the kids didn't show up to school the next day and one went home early. A very funny experience at Dire's Deli that is definitely to be repeated again!:D

[KITKAT]

late last week, my husband Steve decided to put jalapenos in our food dryer. He had a reaction as if he had maced himself, and I had to look up mace antidotes on the internet.

Turns out the best one is Dawn dish detergent!

[Stefan-A]

Just a random story, the other day after a cross country meet, the whole boys team went to a local deli that's famous for one thing, their R.I.P. Hot Wings. 3 of the boys got sample Platters consisting of R.I.P. Wings(Hottest), Criers(2nd Hottest),Hot Hots(3rd Hottest) and milds, two of each type. I was low on cash and could only afford a cheesesteak, but I knew they're would be plenty wings left for me to scavenge. The cook actually had to come out and explain the wings to us because he didn't think the boys knew what they had purchased. We told him we wanted them extra hot and when we all dug in people were knocking others over for bread and soda screaming "I can't feel my face!":D One 17 year old kid on our team, who's dream was to enter a hot wings competition, ate 4 RIP's, 4 criers, and 5 hot hots. since I didn't buy them, all I got away with were 2 criers and 2 hot hot's dipped in the RIP sauce. The cook offered the 17 year old ice cream shortly after he was done, and the reason was so he could shove it up his a** the next morning.:eek: We thought he was kidding. Two of the kids didn't show up to school the next day and one went home early. A very funny experience at Dire's Deli that is definitely to be repeated again!:D
LOL :D
I'm a huge fan of "spicy" food myself, but I usually just stick to the 40,000 - 90,000 range on the Scoville scale when I choose my peppers. ;)

[drache]

I'm sure some of you know this little funny story, but for those of you who don't

Joke Crazy - Texas Chili Contest (http://www.jokecrazy.com/modules.php?name=AvantGo&file=print&sid=1322)
I thought of putting this in another thread, but for the sake of continuity . . .

[Elliot]

LOL that's pretty funny.