The objectives of this research were to understand how individual components of snake feeding are associated with primary prey type and how the partitioned elements are integrated within the feeding system. Using non-preserved specimens of Crotalus atrox, I measured several cranial characteristics associated with gape to determine which components contribute most to the empirically determined maximum gape for that specimen. I also measured cranial characteristics for six species of natricine snakes. I found that some osteological dimensions could be associated with the species' primary prey type. To understand how morphology and behavior influence feeding performance, I measured the time and number of pterygoid protractions required to handle and ingest fish and frogs for three natricine species. The results indicate that some morphological and behavioral modifications reduce the costs of feeding. Furthermore, the data suggests that these modifications can be associated with the documented primary prey type and prey size found in the predator's natural diet. Finally, I compared the postprandial metabolic response in two diet generalist natricine species fed fish and frog meals. My results suggest that the costs of prey digestion are similar for fish and frogs both within and among snake species that are dietary generalists. Overall, the results of this dissertation suggest that some components of the feeding system may be modify to the predator's prey type or prey size while others do not.