Ophiophagy (Greek:ὄφις + φαγία,lit. 'snake eating') is a specialized form offeeding or alimentarybehavior of animals whichhunt and eatsnakes. There are ophiophagousmammals (such as theskunks and themongooses),birds (such assnake eagles, thesecretarybird, and somehawks),lizards (such as thecommon collared lizard), and even other snakes, such as the Central and South Americanmussuranas and the North Americancommon kingsnake. The venomousking cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) is also named for this habit.
A snake-eatingraptor appears in alegend of the ancientMexican people, who gave rise to theAztec empire; this is represented in theMexican flag. TheMexica people, guided by their godHuitzilopochtli, sought the place where a bird lands on theprickly pear and devours a snake. They found their sign on an island inLake Texcoco, where they erected the city ofTenochtitlan ("Place of the Prickly Pear Cactus"; present-dayMéxico City) in 1325. On thecoat of arms of México, this bird is said to be depicted as agolden eagle, though it is also often said to be acrested caracara.[1] It is also possible that the bird was inspired by alaughing falcon orred-tailed hawk, both raptors which feed on a large number of reptiles, including snakes.
The golden eagle will actually eat snakes, but does not specialize in them, preferring larger mammalian prey, from medium-sizedrodents andlagomorphs tomustelids even small mammalian carnivores, all the way to deer fawns and lambs. However, snakes are the most common type of reptile to appear in the golden eagle's overall diet, making up about 2.9% of the remains from all studied golden eagle nests.[2]
TheMayans also had the legend of ophiophagy in theirfolklore andmythology.
Guatemala may derive its name from theNahuatl wordcoactlmoctl-lan, meaning "land of the snake-eating bird."[3]
Christian scripture associates snakes with "evil" (seeserpent), and considers anything that destroys them "good" (i.e.,Saint Patrick allegedly having "driven" all of the snakes fromIreland, through the power ofGod). An example for this tradition is further seen,metaphorically, inRudyard Kipling'sshort storyRikki-Tikki-Tavi (part ofThe Jungle Book), in which amongoose named Rikki-Tikki defends a human family against a pair of evilcobras. On a basic, natural level, most species of mongoose (andmeerkats) are known to hunt and eat snakes much larger than themselves, including some of the most venomous cobras,vipers,boomslangs andmambas, instinctively avoiding the venom glands.
InHindu andBuddhist folklore,Garuda (the eagle-deity mount ofVishnu) is the enemy of theNāgas, a race of intelligent serpent- or dragon-like beings, whom he hunts.
In some regions, farmers keep ophiophagous animals aspets in order to keep their living environment clear of such snakes ascobras andpit vipers (includingrattlesnakes andlanceheads) which annually claim a large number of deaths of domestic animals, such ascattle, and bites on humans. An example is tamedmongooses inIndia. In the 1930s aBrazilian plan to breed and release large numbers ofmussuranas for the control of pit vipers was tried but did not work. TheButantan Institute, inSão Paulo, which specializes in the production ofantivenoms, erected a statue of the mussuranaClelia clelia as its symbol and a tribute to its usefulness in combating venomous snake bites.Peafowl have been kept for millennia due to their ophiophagous habit.[citation needed]
Many ophiophagous animals seem to be immune to thevenom of the usualsnakes they prey and feed upon. The phenomenon was studied in the mussurana by the Brazilian scientistVital Brazil. They haveantihemorrhagic and antineurotoxicantibodies in theirblood. TheVirginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) has been found to have the most resistance towards snake venom. This immunity is not acquired and has probably evolved as an adaptation to predation by venomous snakes in theirhabitat.[4]
InRudyard Kipling'sThe Jungle Book, the author correctly dismisses the idea ofmongooses ingesting herbs to combat poison as old folklore. He attributes no special abilities to the animal other than superb agility and skill at avoiding being bitten. However, recent studies have shown that the mongoose's ability to resist snake venom is at least in part due to its modified nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AcChoR) that does not bind withalpha-BTX, andalpha-neurotoxin.[5]
