Snake 'befriends' snack hamster

A rodent-eating snake and a hamster have developed an unusual bond at a zoo in the Japanese capital, Tokyo.

Link:

The apparent friendship between the snake and hamster is one of many reported bonds spanning the divide between predator and prey.

Okay people, interesting question for you all here?

Animals have limited intelligence in comparison to human beings, they act upon nature and their instincts.

But yet here we have a rodent eating snake sleeping/playing and living with a rodent?!?!

While I find the story very cute as I'm sure most will, I also find it very confusing.

Maybe there is a scientific reason for this and if there is then I'll understand.

But isn't this similiar to presenting a wolf meat and said wolf not eating it?

Your thoughts...

Apparently the snake isn't too hungry right now. Maybe soon he will become hungry and eat it.

This stuff isn't unheard of. Heres a leopard who adopts a baby monkey.



Or the loving hippo.



[edit on 27-7-2009 by king9072]

i find this confusing as well, since its not a mothering instinct like when a child falls into a gorrila enclosure and it doesnt attack it.
But its more like a friendship, or even a kind of pet, but surely that would imply a sense of self and connection with or placement above another..

any animal pyschologists out there?

s&f

[edit on 27-7-2009 by james420]

I had the same thing happen but with Piranahs.

I have about 15 Pirahnas in a tank in the living room and usually we feed them a few goldfish every 2 days or so.

My daughter put 3 in there one day. They ate two of them, but wouln't touch the third.

All of a sudden the Goldfish was swimming in queue with the others and would bait other fish we put in the tank before the others would eat it.

He eventually died from lack of food but it took a good 2 weeks, and they would NOT touch him.

Strange how animals are eh?

~Keeper

awesome story. there IS a level i believe, of compassion and unconditional love in the universe.

my theory is, we're all in this place together. you have to have some level of understanding of your surroundings just to live. (by avoiding predators and managing to stay alive) so by that, we're all pretty dialed-in to our environment as a whole.

maybe reptiles and animals DO have a need for company or stimulus from another being.

pretty close to conscious don't you say?
good stuff.

reply to post by Death_Kron


Awesome story! and awesome stories others have put in also. I love reading about things like that!!

Hi, animal fans.

For the rat and snake, I would say : Maybe the snake likes the heat
of the LIVE rat, compared to a frozen mouse. . .

That's why the rat CAN sleep ON the snake, because it heats the snake. . .

And the other stories are very fun to see/read !

Blue skies.

First thought. Maybe the snake is getting bored in captivity and welcomes the oppurtunity to have company?

Originally posted by PsykoOps
First thought. Maybe the snake is getting bored in captivity and welcomes the oppurtunity to have company?

seriously.

line uno
line dos

Is it possible the snake can sense something unhealthy about the rodent. I don't know, cancer or some other slow working disease. And as a result the snake does not see the rodent as food?

Vas

reply to post by Vasilis Azoth

A ball python- I was caring for one day- would not eat his mouse.
Come to find out it and all the others at the pet store had mites.
He knew.

Not saying this is whats going on here but it has happened.
Even though snakes can dislocate their jaws too eat,
that hamster looks like a pretty big swallow!
Maybe try a tad smaller "snack"!
Maybe hes just saving him for around midnight?
Maybe hes just too gosh dang cute to eat!

reply to post by zooplancton


No not seriously. It was just the first thought and went by pretty fast

Maybe the Animal Kingdom is sick of all the fighting and killing too...

''Animals have limited intelligence in comparison to human beings, they act upon nature and their instincts.''

That my friend, IS intelligence.

Animals do not have little intelligence compared to humans, quite the opposite. Do you see animals engaging in pointless wars, slaving away for valueless money, destroying the land they live on?

No, animals live as nature intended.

Who said humans are more intelligent? - Only us humans decided that. I think the animals of this planet would beg to differ.