Ca. King Snake eating Ca. Night Snake

Description:

California kingsnakes are opportunistic feeders, feeding on almost any vertebrate they can overpower. Common food items include rodents, other reptiles, birds, and amphibians. All kingsnakes are non-venomous, but are powerful constrictors and generally kill their prey through suffocation. The "king" in their name refers to their propensity to hunt and consume other snakes, including venomous rattlesnakes. dd defensive mechanism, in which it will puff up its body and curl itself into the classic strike pose of a pit viper. However, rather than delivering an open-mouthed strike, the gopher snake is known for striking with a closed mouth, using its blunt nose to "warn-off" possible predators. Also, it will often shake its tail, confusing predators into thinking it is a rattlesnake.

Notes:

Out in the field checking trail cameras, we came across a little Gopher Snake jutting out of the side of the collapsed earth. We looked at it a while then returned back to work only to hear another one of our team shout "Guys! Check this out!" A King Snake, the first I've ever seen, was trying to strangle and suck this Gopher Snake into its hole while the Gopher Snake was trying, arduously, to get himself back into the other hole. We watches this battle go on for 15 minutes then had to leave. It looked like they could've battled for hours. The KS was twice the size of the GS and is much more powerful, so I'm thinking the GS lost. But what a sight to see!