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Posted by Rob Carmichael on October 11, 2002 at 09:02:27:
In Reply to: Let's put our thinking caps on. posted by A.C. on October 10, 2002 at 00:42:16:
This is a very interesting thread for which I think warrants further discussion. In my LIMITED experience in raising and breeding a small colony of easterns, I truly feel that captivity does have an impact, to some degree, on behavior with this species (perhaps even more than other snake species). These are animals that typically cover a wide range of territory, however, most of us keep our indigos in 6' enclosures (seemingly big, but in actuality, quite small for what these snakes are used to in the wild). They don't have all of the stimuli of the natural surroundings that they are typically encountering in the wild (different scents, textures, etc.). Moreso than other snakes, I believe, indigos are very wary about their surroundings. In captivity, they are not exposed to the many sights, sounds, threats and other stimulii that they get outdoors on a constant basis. As such, you take a resting indigo in a quiet cage devoid of much stimuli, and then suddenly expose him to a possible mate, BAM, he goes into a very excited and sometimes agitate state. Who knows what captivity does to this species. I know that when I allow my indigos time to explore outside (under very controlled conditions), it is amazing to see how inquisitive they are about their surroundings. They check out every square inch and show an almost curious nature about things around them. As such, aggressive action by captive males could be a product of captivity, or, it could be a natural behavior taken to a slightly elevated level. It would seem to me that the biggest males have the advantage in tracking down females and successfully breeding with them (even when females may be unresposive because these large males can perhaps force themselves a bit more). Has anyone observed eastern indigos breeding in their natural element? I, too, would be curious to know. My largest male, 7', did a real number on my oldest female and required her to receive 30 stitches along her neck. After multiple injections followed by antibiotics for a couple of months, she has fully recovered. This forum is by far and away the most professional of any of the other forums that are out there. It is great to talk about these things with other professionals and serious hobbyists.
:Here is a question by one of my college prof's that got me thinking. This was in response to my detailing of the trials and tribulations ass. with indigo breeding. Here are some questions for those with answers. Great brain candy!
:1. What is the biological advantage of a male indigo ripping apart his female mate to the point where she is dead or near death? How does this help the spp?
:2.Are there any valid reports of this occurrence in the wild?
:3. Have we, captive breeders, bred these snakes like pitbulls with the meanest snakes siring our females to produce a meaner and meaner generation of males?
:We can certainly see sexual dimorphism. Basically in layman's terms, males are bigger in x species because x females only mate with the biggest strongest males. This makes the next generation of males evern larger and so on. We see this in humans (can be linked to ancient ancestry), couperi, birds like boat tailed grackles, and many more.
:Do I know these answers? No. However, I would love to see what everyone thinks on the issue.
