Which Animals Eat Snakes? Predators of Snakes

Among the most interesting creatures in our wonderful world are snakes. There are now over 3000 species of snakes known to science, and each one is unique in terms of size, color, and sometimes even form. Snakes range in species from black mambas to rattlesnakes and pythons, some of which we are acquainted with and others of which we are not.

In any case, people often distinguish between venomous and non-venomous snakes. Certain civilizations revere snakes as sacred creatures or divine beings. Snakes are often despised and feared in other cultures. Snakes are killed because they are thought to be hazardous, however in other nations they are even eaten as a delicacy.

On the other hand, every species in the animal world seems to hunt not just for its own food, but also to be hunted in order to provide food for other animals. The same is true with snakes. As amazing as it may seem to consume snakes, many creatures rely on them to survive. This is a widespread feeding practice that goes by the term “opiophagy,” which is Greek for “snake eating.” Other animals seek and consume snakes as part of this feeding strategy.

Thus, we’ll look at the creatures that like eating snakes for lunch (as well as breakfast and supper) in the paragraphs that follow. Now let’s get going!

Which kind of animals consume snakes?

Mongoose

An omnivore is a mongoose. They consume small animals, birds, eggs, and fruits when required. They burrow themselves. Despite their cute look, mongooses have a reputation for being vicious and violent creatures. But here we are—I never would have imagined that mongooses would consume snakes in my lifetime.

It’s amazing to learn that mongooses are known to specialize in consuming dangerous snakes, such as king cobras, inside the animal world. However, how can an animal live after consuming a toxic animal?

Because they have special acetylcholine receptors, mongooses have a unique defensive mechanism. These receptors provide the immune system the defense it needs to fend against toxins and venoms. As a result, the venom of the king cobra does not enter the mongoose’s circulation when it is eaten. Only a few species, including mongooses, have these unusual receptors, which are thought to have changed throughout time to provide defense against the venom.

Brown Snake Eagle

One of the most well-known predatory birds that feeds on snakes is the brown snake eagle. The eagle is a solitary animal that inhabits the western, eastern, and southern parts of Africa. It hunts and consumes snakes. Though most eagles are known to eat snakes for meals, the brown snake eagle excels in this regard. The eagle spends its whole life surveying the surroundings, searching for snakes, hunting them, and devouring them—poisonous or not.

The brown snake eagle is known to hunt snakes both when perched on trees and while it is in the air. Because of its exceptional eyesight, an eagle can see a snake four or five times further away than humans can. How then does an eagle consume and thrive on a snake?

The eagle devours the snake by first beheading it and then consuming it whole in a single bite. The eagle is reducing the possibility of being bitten by the snake by moving quickly and eliminating the head first. Additionally, the eagle’s thick-skinned, scaled legs provide natural defense against snake venom, making it resistant to the poison.

Typically, the brown snake eagle beheads the snake first, sometimes consumes it instantly, or transports it to the nest to either devour it or feed the young eagles. This eagle seldom hunts while in the air; when it comes to snakes, particularly the larger ones, it usually hunts on the ground. A nine-foot-long snake may be killed and carried by a brown snake eagle.

Hedgehog

Hedgehogs were thought of by humans as adorable but defenseless tiny woodland creatures. But in order to live, hedgehogs have to develop their strength and resourcefulness due to the animal kingdom’s harshness. This indicates that they chase other animals and use their amazing collection of spikes or quills on their body to defend themselves in addition to eating plants and hiding in the bushes.

Hedgehogs in the wild will consume almost everything that comes their way, including plants, insects, vegetables, and other, usually smaller creatures like snakes. So tell me, how does a hedgehog find, kill, and consume snakes?

Generally speaking, the hedgehog will use its quills to assault and injure the snake. Following the assault, the hedgehog coils into a spiky ball to defend itself from the snake and to stab it more each time it attempts to strike. The hedgehog bites the snake in the neck and consumes its head because the snake eventually becomes too injured to resist or attack.

So how can hedgehogs live after consuming a poisonous snake? They are able to do so because of their amazing immune system. It is thought that hedgehogs clean up, neutralize, and stop the hemorrhagic impact of the snake’s poisonous chemicals. It is thought that European hedgehogs possess antibodies that protect them against venom and other harmful poisons, based on their studies.

Wolverine

No, we’re not referring to the Marvel character; instead, we’re talking to Wolverine, the strong weasel who more closely resembles a little bear. Wolverines are now solitary creatures that mostly inhabit North America, Asia, and northern Europe. When they go for extended periods of time without eating, they have a tendency to consume almost everything.

Wolverines like plants, berries, and vegetables, but they also need meat to survive in the winter. In addition to consuming rats, lizards, and rabbits, wolverines also often pursue and consume snakes. Wolverines are opportunistic creatures that also hunt.

This implies that they won’t hesitate to consume the remains of bigger creatures, such as deer or caribou. They’ll eat just about anything to keep them alive, particularly in the winter. Now, wolverines are known to consume cobras when it comes to snakes. Wolverines, like mongooses, are thought to be resistant to snake venom. They are also shielded against snake attacks by their thicker skin and coat.

California kingsnake

Has there ever been a snake that devours other snakes? You now know that the California kingsnake is infamous for its cannibalistic eating habits, in which it attacks and consumes other snakes in order to survive. The kingsnake is undoubtedly an exception to the general rule that snakes seldom use this kind of feeding style. Yes, the kingsnake also consumes other creatures, including eggs, rats, lizards, and birds. However, the kingsnake’s specialty is undoubtedly eating snakes, particularly poisonous ones.

It is well known that the venom of other snakes does not affect the kingsnake. It doesn’t hesitate to devour rattlesnakes because of this. It also has no problem-consuming non-venomous pythons, which are much bigger than kingsnakes.

What happens when a kingsnake consumes other snakes? Well, restriction is the solution. The kingsnake consumes and kills other snakes by suffocating the “enemy.”

The kingsnake is a well-known home pet due to its distinctive look and coloration. Pet owners seem to like the tri-colored motif. Naturally, rather of feeding their snakes with other snakes, these pet owners must feed their snakes lizards and mice.

Bobcat

Although all cats are adorable and humorous, wild cats are not at all like that. These magnificent animals are ferocious hunters, willing to pursue, take down, and consume everything that comes their way. The bobcat is one such wild cat; it is an opportunistic feeder that will consume any size animal, poisonous or not.

Naturally, bobcats are daring enough to consume snakes as well. In addition to snakes, bobcats also consume birds, eggs, deer, skunks, rabbits, rats, lizards, rattlesnakes, and even domestic cats. Bobcats stalk and swiftly ambush their victim in order to hunt.

A bobcat’s winter prey consists of bigger animals, such as deer, which it kills and consumes over an extended period of time. It is important to note that bobcats are omnivores that enjoy meat, so it doesn’t matter whether the meat originates from snakes; they just don’t dine on snakes specifically.

The King Cobra

The king cobra is another snake that consumes its own, along with the California kingsnake. This gorgeous serpent is the longest venomous snake in the world, reaching lengths of up to 18 feet. In thickets of bamboo, marshes, and woods across southeast Asia, including India and China, reside king cobras.

A king cobra is classified as a carnivore, meaning that its primary sources of food include lizards, small rodents, birds, and other snakes. Some king cobras may never have eaten an animal in their lives; instead, they may spend their whole lives eating on other snakes. In terms of feeding on other snakes, it’s said that male cobras would consume female cobras in order to eliminate the rival’s offspring.

Of course, eating one’s own food might also be motivated by hunger. However according to studies, the reason a male king cobra would murder a female is because males go without food during mating season. When the season is over, they will even eat their own because they are so hungry.

The female king cobra will be attacked by the male, who will grasp her by the neck and choke her while squirting poison into her mouth. The male king cobra just begins to consume the snake after it has died.

The Honey Badger

Even though they are cute and little, honey badgers may be vicious creatures. The family of animals known as Mustelidae includes the honey badger as well as weasels, ferrets, otters, and wolverines.

Now, honey badgers are little animals that may grow to a maximum height of 11 inches and weigh between 13 and 30 pounds. Despite their little stature, honey badgers possess remarkable strength and muscularity, suggesting their military nature. They resemble a killing machine due to their powerful fangs and claws.

Honey badgers have an omnivorous diet, meaning they will eat almost everything, including rodents, fruits, and vegetables. They are even capable of defeating horned antelopes. Nevertheless, their particular love of honey is how they received their moniker.

However, honey badgers are not afraid to seek and consume snakes. For honey badgers, snakes—including poisonous ones—are among their top meal sources. These animals have a unique immunity to poisons and snake venom, which allows them to consume poisonous snakes. Due to genetic changes, honey badgers are resistant to snake venom, which would kill all other animals.

Peacock

Well, peacocks, look who’s arrived.Really, do peacocks eat snakes? To begin with, let us state that peacocks are omnivores. As previously said, this implies that will consume almost everything, including fruits, rodents, and reptiles. Currently, peacocks may have dietary preferences based on their environment. For instance, frogs, worms, insects, and reptiles are often consumed by Indian or Blue peacocks. In addition to hunting termites, green peacocks also often pursue poisonous snakes.

It is important to note that peacocks are not impervious to poisonous snakes. They will, however, attack and devour any snake that enters their domain since they detest snakes so much. The way they kill the snakes is by gripping their necks and giving them a good shake till the snake passes away.

Fun fact: Mayura is the Indian term for peacocks, and it literally translates as “the killer of snakes.” Peacocks consume smaller snakes such as rattlesnakes and cobras. One thing to keep in mind, however, is that although peacocks don’t seem to have any problems eating poisonous snakes, ingesting a snake tainted with germs, viruses, or parasites might pose a health risk. The peacock will then pay a price for it.

Secretary Bird

Large birds of prey are known as secretary birds. They are native to Africa and often inhabit the savanna of the sub-Saharan area or open grasslands. These birds are distinguished by their distinct feather color combinations, eagle-like body, and crane-like legs. For instance, the orange region around the eyes and the conspicuous black feather projecting from behind the head are characteristics of the secretary bird.

Secretary birds consume a variety of foods, including insects, beetles, mice, lizards, eggs, tortoises, and naturally, snakes. Secretary birds have also been seen pursuing cheetah kittens and gazelles, according to reports.

However, how do they track down and dispatch big cats and snakes? Their well-known method of hunting and killing is stamping on the victim with their legs, following the victim, expanding their wings, and grabbing the victim from thick grass. The bird will, if it is able, capture its meal, lift it into the air, and then release it to the ground until it is dead. They do this not just with larger or smaller animals, but also with snakes.