Published in

MDPI, Diversity, 5(15), p. 610, 2023

DOI: 10.3390/d15050610

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

Journal article published in 2023 by Tim Lüddecke ORCID
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

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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.