...will be titled Snake and Meal:
BBC: Snake 'befriends' snack hamster
A rodent-eating snake and a hamster have developed an unusual bond at a zoo in the Japanese capital, Tokyo, the Associated Press news agency reports.
Their relationship began in October last year, when zookeepers presented the hamster to the snake as a meal.
The rat snake, however, refused to eat the rodent. The two now share a cage.
Neat. Currently laying odds on whether it's true or not, but it is plausible -- not much weirder than bunnies and cats living together, and that happens.
Ported comments:
ffutures
2006-01-19 08:50 pm UTC
Look at the size of the hamster versus the head size of the snake and you'll see one possible reason - that's a smallish snake and a biggish hamster, and the snake may be thinking "never eat anything bigger than your head". You'll also notice that the snake's eyes are blue, a sign it's shedding its skin, and it may be in partial hibernation - October to January isn't that much of a stretch for a snake. If it gets really hungry the hamster may be in for interesting times...
Incidentally, the icon shows my corn snakes, which are pretty much the same species. I have two five-footers, and neither of them could eat something that size AFAIK.
(Anonymous)
2006-01-19 09:38 pm UTC
That makes good sense. I just read a paper in Science which had a discussion of the optimum prey size for large reef predators in the Bahamas -- 60% of mouth width.
Having grown up with the San Diego Zoo, I'm frequently surprised by the relative lack of care taken at many other zoos. I know in San Diego they never put live prey in with their snakes out of concern that the prey will hurt the snake (much more of an issue with rabbits than hamsters, but still...).
If a snake isn't going for a dead animal, they jiggle it with a stick (the animal, not the snake :) ).
parakkum
2006-01-19 09:41 pm
Tsk. Anonomously replied to a comment on my own blog.