Snakes do engage in interactions that can appear aggressive. However, what might seem like a fight to the death is frequently a ritualized display of dominance rather than an attempt to inflict fatal harm. This distinct behavior, known as combat, serves various purposes and is a far cry from the lethal encounters sometimes depicted.
Reasons for Snake Combat
One of the primary reasons snakes engage in combat is to secure mating rights during breeding season. Male snakes will often compete for access to receptive females. This male-male combat is particularly common among many species, including rattlesnakes and king cobras. These contests ensure that the strongest or most dominant male mates.
While less frequent, snakes may also compete over territory or valuable resources like prime basking spots or shelter. Although snakes are generally not considered territorial, some species, such as certain vipers, might defend a localized area if it contains a highly defensible resource, like a concentrated food source. Direct fighting over food between same-species snakes is rare, often resulting in one individual backing down to avoid injury.
Methods of Snake Combat
When male snakes engage in combat for mating rights, their primary method involves wrestling or body-slamming. They intertwine their bodies, often raising their heads and necks, attempting to overpower and pin their opponent’s head. This ritualized contest can last minutes or even hours, with the goal being to demonstrate superior strength until one male submits.
Biting is rare in these intraspecific fights, even among venomous species. If a bite occurs, venomous snakes typically do not inject venom, as they possess immunity to their own species’ venom, and conserving venom is beneficial. Non-venomous snakes might bite, but these bites are usually not intended to be lethal. Some snakes also use head-butting as a warning or their defensive displays, though it is not a primary offensive tactic. Constricting is almost never observed in same-species combat unless it is predation.
Beyond Aggression: Other Snake Interactions
Not all intertwined or seemingly aggressive snake interactions signify combat. One distinct behavior is ophiophagy, where certain snake species prey on other snakes. This is a predatory act, not a fight for dominance or resources, and the attacking snake intends to consume its victim. Examples include king cobras and king snakes, which specialize in eating other snakes, sometimes even venomous ones.
Courtship and mating rituals can also be mistaken for combat due to the intricate intertwining of bodies. During courtship, male snakes will actively pursue and entwine with a female, but these movements are part of a reproductive process, not an aggressive struggle. The male often aligns his body with the female’s, and the interaction is typically calm and intimate compared to the vigorous wrestling of male-male combat.
Snakes also exhibit various defensive displays when threatened by predators or humans. These behaviors, such as hissing, tail rattling, flattening the head, or mock striking, are intended to deter a perceived threat and escape, rather than engage in a fight with another snake of the same species. Similarly, when two snakes encounter the same prey, they usually resolve the situation without a full-blown fight; often, one snake will back down, or the larger snake will consume the prey.