Coral snakes do eat Copperheads

[txdon]

I saw the most unusual sight this morning on my jogging trail. A coral snake had the entire head of a copperhead snake inside of it's mouth trying to swallow the copperhead. I ran back to the house, grabbed the camera but my dog beat me back and separated the snakes before I could get that once in a lifetime photo.

The coral snake was huge, it had 28 yellow stripes, My dog continued to harass the coral snake till he disappeared into the woods.

I got a few pictures of my dog and the huge coral snake. Also below is a picture of the copperhead the coral snake killed and was attempting to swallow.

Further down the trail a second live copperhead excited my dog. He thinks he has to put everything in his mouth. (last photo)

 

[RVThere]

If red touches yellow, you're a dead fellow!

 

[2LaneCruzer]

My little Boston Terrier had an altercation with a copperhead; he came out second best. Spent the night at the vet's, came home a bit shaky but much wiser.

 

[bullbreaker]

Man "Oh" man thats a big arse coral !


Boone

 

[dmccarty]

Wow, that is a big Coral snake! The ones I have seen have been much smaller.

Later,
Dan

 

[toppop52]

I've never seen more than half that long, that is huge!

 

[Biggreenavalanche]

Beautiful snakes !...one of the biggest Corals I've ever seen...been collecting and messing with snakes for over 30 years...thanks for the pics !!

Rich

PS, and thanks for not killin the coral !

 

[trihounds]

Is your dog immune to snake venom? Coral, Copperhead....?

Nice looking snakes but would scare the beejeesus out of me!

 

[creekbend]

Did the snake bite your dog?

 

[LJH]

Daymn! All I can think about is did the doggie take a hit? Is he OK?

I find snakes beautiful, fascinating and terrifying all at the same time. Only scary ones in these parts are rattlers but the stinkin' things are everywhere, usually invisible and don't always rattle, that's a myth. Sometimes they just go for it.

 

[lockhaven]

snakes are people to, they are just misunderstood and looked down upon

 

[jinman]

Don, I can't believe how many snakes you have down there. The number of coral snakes and copperheads you've found is amazing. Like others have said, that is one BIG coral snake. That would have made a great photo of it swallowing the copperhead. I'd bet you could count on one hand the number of people who have a picture of that. You could probably count on two hands the number of people who have ever seen it. You could probably count on two hands and two feet the number of people who'll believe you.

 

[txdon]

Don - How is it that your dog is not dead....

We keep wondering the same thing. She gets so excited by snakes when I yell at her she only get more excited so I just walk away and she finally gets bored. She has only been bitten twice, her snout swells up to twice the size for a few days and then she back to snake chasing. Today she did not get bit and I was trying desperately to get her to get her away from the huge coral, one bite from it and I knew my good dog was a goner. The coral was striking at her but she ignored me as usual, (she really was concentrating on the snake, jumping back to miss the strike and then she would strike at the snake throwing it up in the air. She chased the really mad snake toward me, that's when I left.

 

[Red Horse]

Well boys good luck-I'll take 3ft of frost in the ground, a blowing Nor-easter that leaves big drifts and screwing around with waxed diesel before I deal with your corals and copperheads-although someone got bit by a CH about 50 miles west of us a couple of weeks ago. Garter snakes- beautiful! they love insects!

 

[lockhaven]

i have been bitten several times, no big deal if by copper heads or rattlers coral is another matter. in my younger years i competed in sacking:cool2:

 

[ljohnson778]

Well boys good luck-I'll take 3ft of frost in the ground, a blowing Nor-easter that leaves big drifts and screwing around with waxed diesel before I deal with your corals and copperheads

Ha ha... X 10!

 

[dmccarty]

snakes are people to, they are just misunderstood and looked down upon

I was always under the impression that snakes were always looking up to me...

Later,
Dan

 

[Jim Miller]

I live the Hill Country section of Texas and we have Rattlesnakes, Water Mocassins, Copperheads and every once in a while a Coral. But, I have never seen a Coral that big. WOW! Usually, an encounter with a Coral is not too bad because they have such a small mouth - but not that rascal.

 

[txdon]

Looking at the copperhead in it's mouth, his mouth could easily hold three human fingers. It must had really been mad it flatten out like a hognose snake right before striking. I should have put the camera on movie mode but I was really trying everything to get my dog away from it and just took a few blind auto pictures.