Snakes are carnivorous animals. Their diet includes both warm-blooded and cold-blooded animals. Surprisingly, they can eat other snakes, too—even venomous ones!
The king cobra, common kingsnake, mussurana snake, black racer, eastern indigo snake, and milksnake are among the snakes that eat venomous snakes. Whether or not they have venom, these snakes employ various hunting strategies that allow them to prey on venomous snakes successfully.
In this article, I’ll explore how snakes can be immune to venom and identify some Ophiophagus snakes that consume their common venomous counterparts in the United States.
Venomous Snake-Eating Snakes
Of more than 3,000 species of snakes, only 600 species are venomous. Here in the United States, you can find at least four main venomous snakes: rattlesnakes, copperheads, cottonmouths (or water moccasins), and coral snakes.
Unbeknownst to many, being venomous does not put a snake at the top of the food chain. Venomous snakes are also being eaten by other snakes—even the nonvenomous ones. Here’s a list of some Ophiophagus snakes that eat venomous snakes.
1. King Cobra (Ophiophagus Hannah)
King cobras are strategic predator snakes with very potent venom that they utilize to eat cold-blooded species, with other snakes at the top of the list. This species can grow up to 18 feet (5.4 meters) and can be found across Asia.
It primarily preys on more giant innocuous snakes like Asian rat snakes, dhamans, and pythons. Still, it can also eat smaller king cobras.
2. Common Kingsnake (Lampropeltis Elapsoides)
Common kingsnakes are nonvenomous snakes found in the southeast and east of the United States. They are typically 4 feet (1.2 meters) long. The “king” in kingsnake, like in king cobra, refers to its primary feeding preference for snakes.
These snakes use constriction to control their prey due to their substantial muscle mass. They eat other snakes by biting down on their jaws and swallowing them whole until they suffocate. They consume venomous snakes such as rattlesnakes, cottonmouths, and copperheads. Their strength makes eating venomous snakes a breeze.
They also enjoy feeding on other, smaller animals, such as rats and birds.
3. Mussurana Snake (Clelia Clelia)
Mussurana snakes are non-venomous snakes that can reach nearly 7 feet (2 meters). They can be found from Central America to Argentina.
Clelia clielia hunt utilizing the rear-fang strategy. They primarily consume snakes, including venomous snakes such as fer-de-lance and rattlesnakes. To fit their meal into their tiny digestive tract, these snakes crush the body before consuming it. Despite the fact that they kill smaller animals with venom, they primarily use the brute force of constriction to kill other venomous snakes.
4. Black Racer (Coluber Constrictor)
As the name suggests, black racers are exceptionally fast nonvenomous snakes commonly found in the southern portion of the United States. They can be as long as 4.6 feet (about 1.4 meters).
These snakes are constrictors and may not consider snakes their primary food source. However, they can consume poisonous snakes such as rattlesnakes. Their speed makes catching their prey, including other snakes, relatively easy.
5. Eastern Indigo Snake (Drymarchon Corais Couperi)
Eastern indigo snakes are aggressive nonvenomous snakes native to the southeast of the United States. They can grow up to 7 feet (about 2 meters).
These snakes consume a wide range of prey. They are not constrictors but they are certainly fast enough to pursue their victim, bash it against a hard surface, and suffocate it. Combined with their rather strong bite, these characteristics allow them to swallow snakes such as rattlesnakes, copperhead, and cottonmouth.
6. Milk Snake (Lampropeltis Triangulum)
Milk Snakes are dispersed in parts of the eastern United States, southern Canada, Mexico, and Central America. They can reach 5.7 feet (1.75 meters) in length.
These nonvenomous snakes, sometimes known as Scarlet kingsnakes, are constrictors that swallow their victims whole. Their diet includes various animals, although they sometimes prey on venomous snakes such as rattlesnakes and coral snakes.
Can Snakes Be Killed by Their Own Venom?
When biting their prey, venomous snakes inject venom, which is a toxic fluid, from their venom glands. When this fluid permeates the victim’s skin through the snake’s fangs, it can cause pain, respiratory failure, shock, paralyzation, and, worst, death.
As venomous snakes ingest their food, the venom it just injected into their prey goes inside their system, right? This process now raises the question of whether or not snakes can be killed by their own venom.
Fortunately for these cold-blooded reptiles, the evolution of snakes has resulted in the development of digestive processes that rapidly break down the toxic components of their venom. Proteins are among the venom’s elements, and so after ingesting the venom, its antibodies would suppress the toxin in its blood.
Soon after, the kidney will discharge the venomous proteins as benign particles. The toxic fluid will only harm the snake if it goes beyond its intestines. Otherwise, they will remain immune to their venom, thanks to their digestive tract!