Reticulated Python
A reticulated python eating a chicken. Credit: José Gongo Morales/Instagram

Watch: Chicken Pulled Out of Reticulated Python’s Mouth

It looks uncomfortable -- for the snake!

Hobbyist fisherman and snake handler José Gongo Morales posted a video of his recent encounter with a reticulated python swallowing a chicken, at least, that's what he said in the caption.

In the video, the snake's head and throat are stretched out and feathers are sticking out of its mouth, but then, a man's hand squeezes on the snake's body until the chicken is fully regurgitated.

The chicken does not appear to be alive — of course, constrictors typically eat their prey after they suffocate them. But I'm also not sure why they "saved" the chicken or who would want to eat the bird after it was partially consumed by a snake.

Besides Morales saying he found the snake in Puerto Rico, he provided very little context, so it's unclear where exactly he found the snake, how the snake got the chicken, why he retrieved it from the snake's mouth, and what he did with the snake afterward.

However, reticulated pythons are considered an invasive species everywhere except in countries in South and Southeast Asia. Since they are capable of breeding quickly, wildlife experts say they pose a risk to native wildlife in the area, including domestic animals and endangered species.