Texas Rat Snake Adult, Swallowing a Rabbit

 (Elaphe obsoleta lindheimeri) Non-poisonous (bites), Aggressive, Beneficial--Found in a yard in Flower Mound, Texas -- 22 March 2007

Photos courtesy of Anne J

The orange background color on the Texas rat snake is very obvious when the skin is stretched during the process of swallowing a meal.

The snake is coiled around the rabbit's body, with part of the rabbit already in the snake's mouth and throat.  Since the Texas rat snake prefers to swallow its prey head first, the rabbit's head is most likely already inside.

As the prey is slowly conducted into the snake's gullet, the powerful muscles in the throat and jaws act to crush the bones and flesh. In another five to fifteen minutes the entire rabbit will be swallowed.  Afterward, the snake will rest in place, then slowly slither away to a quiet spot, probably underground, where it will spend several days digesting the meal.

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