|
Feeding
Time At The Zoo
Reticulated Python
On
the last Thursday of each month, the reticulated python is publicly
fed. I was lucky enough to be there to watch this today.
|
 |
| While I waited
for 11:30 to roll around, I admired the beautiful king cobra in
the adjoining window. |
 |
| There was a
lovely shed skin in the cobra's cage - it was gigantic! |
 |
| The reticulated
python is 18 feet long and weighs 180 pounds. This was the first
time I'd seen it move. It's usually asleep. |
 |
| As 11:30 approached,
the python became quite alert and watched the keeper's door. The
keeper held out the (dead) prey (in this case, a rabbit) on the
end of a stick. The python lunged and captured it so quickly that
I couldn't get a picture. |
 |
| Although the
prey obviously didn't need killing, instinct kicked in and the python
quickly seized it and began crushing it. |
 |
| I couldn't
believe how wide the python could open its mouth. The prey was not
small, but the python had no trouble with it at all. |
 |
| Wider and wider
opened the jaws as the prey continued to disappear. |
 |
| This all happened
in silence (except for the kids going "ewwww" and "grosssss"). |
 |
| Nearing the
end now, the python concentrates on the last few inches. |
 |
| I would say
the entire experience took less than 15 minutes from start to finish.
|
 |
| The snake expert
present who described the happenings said that this was not a large-sized
prey. |
 |
| Looking satisfied
now, the python took itself off to a corner behind a log to reset
its jaw. It does this by giving a couple of huge yawns. |
 |
|
Unfortunately
the only picture I took of a "yawn" is mostly obscured
by a log, but this is the end of one of the "yawns".
And with that,
it was off to sleep and digest.
|
| Photographs
Index |