Quid Pro Quo: A Documented Case of Cannibalism in the Red-Bellied Black Snake <i>Pseudechis porphyriacus</i> in Lamington (Queensland, Australia)

Abstract

The red-bellied black snake (Pseudechis porphyriacus) is a member of the Elapidae family and is distributed on the east coast of Australia. The species is known to feed on a variety of ectothermic prey, including frogs and lizards. It is also known to be ophiophagous (snake-feeding), and stomach-content analyses suggest that P. porphyriacus also exhibits cannibalistic behavior, yet this extreme case of ophiophagy has rarely been documented. Here, a case of cannibalism in P. porphyriacus, which was observed in Lamington (Queensland, Australia), has been photographically documented and is described.

Keywords

• Elapidae
• ophiophagy
• natural history
• feeding ecology