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Quantifying the performance of animals is a powerful methodology for determining the functional consequences of morphological variation. For example, snakes consume prey whole, and variation in their cranial anatomy directly affects gape and limits maximal prey size. However, for the feeding ecology of snakes and other systems, little data exist regarding how often maximal capacities are used during feeding. Hence, this data shows how prey handling behavior are affected by the relative size of prey consumed in the laboratory for a species of snake (Liodytes rigida) that exclusively eats crayfish. To collect this data, snakes were captured in Northwestern Florida housed at the University of Cincinnati for feeding experiments and measurement of maximum gape. From HD videos of captive feedings, we determined total handling time (HT) as the sum of the durations of the following six behaviors. 1) Attack extended from the first strike until the final strike that succeeded in capturing the crayfish. 2) Jaw holding occurred immediately after the successful strike as snakes grasped prey with immobile jaws. 3) Lateral jaw walking movements repositioned the prey (without engulfing it) prior to the beginning of swallowing. These movements usually involved moving the head of the snake along the long axis of the prey so that swallowing would start at either the posterior or anterior end of the crayfish. 4) Pauses occurred during lateral jaw walking. 5) Swallowing ended as soon as jaw movements ceased and the prey item was no longer visible. 6) Pauses occurred during swallowing. We noted the following additional events. We scored the number of successful and unsuccessful strikes, the number of escapes by the crayfish, and the snake behaviors during which the escapes occurred. We scored the following four locations of the final strike that succeeded in capturing and consuming the crayfish: 1) completely posterior to the carapace 2) the joint between the abdomen and carapace, 3) the carapace only, and 4) the cheliped. Immediately after a successful strike, we recorded whether the back of the mouth of the snake (the joints between the quadrate and lower jaw) was located on the lateral, dorsal, or ventral surface of the crayfish. After completion of feeding experiments, we directly measured the maximum gape of snakes by inserting cylindrical probes into their mouths of increasing size until they did not fit, or we observed tissue failure. Relative prey size was then calculated as the maximum cross-sectional area and mass of prey divided by maximum gape area and mass of snake, respectively. This dataset provides a powerful resource for future studies examining the maximal capacities of animals involved in foraging ecology and morphology.