 | mobile - desktop |
|
| mobile - desktop |
|
 |
 Contact Sales! |
News & Events:
|
Posted by Pierson on October 10, 2002 at 17:03:40:
In Reply to: Something I was pondering today... posted by hotshot on October 10, 2002 at 15:38:34:
Kingsnakes do have limited gape for their size compared to ratsnakes. The reason behind this is pretty obvious once you consider their natural history.
Kingsnake diet in the wild has a high percentage of reptilian prey (lizards and snakes) that have long cylindrical body shapes. To eat large snakes, you need extraordinary jaw power because typical mammalian constriction tactics don't apply. It seems snakes lose gape when they gain jaw power (Indigos, for example). Basically, Kingsnakes don't feed on enough large rodents or birds to justify having the flimsy expandable jaws to do so.
Ratsnakes, on the other hand, eat primarily rodents and birds which are easily and quickly dispatched (compared to reptiles). Therefore, gape is much more important than jaw power.
This is my take on the situation. Hopefully someone else will offer some more input.
