A man walking along a riverbank in Australia stumbled upon a jaw-dropping sight. Nick Stock, the manager of a sanctuary in North Queensland, had a front-row seat to a remarkable event-a snake devouring another snake.
Snakes eat all kinds of prey. The interesting twist here is that both snakes were black-headed pythons. Dr. Helena Stokes, a Wildlife Ecologist working at the Australian Wildlife Conservancy's Piccaninny Plains Wildlife Sanctuary where Stock is employed, calls this event "unusual and lucky."
Stock had been checking up on the aftermath of a recent fire, which was the second one in less than two weeks across the vast sanctuary. It was during one of these checks that he came across this fascinating natural display.
Stock was strolling along the banks of the Archer River, situated on the sanctuary's southern edge. And there it was: a black-headed python wrapped around what seemed like another snake, clearly its prey.
Being careful not to disturb this unusual meal, Stock inched closer. That's when he noticed something even more peculiar about the "prey"-the snake also had a black head. It became apparent that a bigger black-headed python was making a meal of a smaller one, starting from the tail.
Nick Stock/Australian Wildlife Conservancy via SWNS, Talker
Stock said the ordeal took about 15 minutes from when he saw the initial constriction to when the snake finished its meal and returned to its burrow. While that 15 minutes must have been awful for the smaller snake, it gave Stock enough time to get his camera and document this "extraordinary" event.
"At first, I was taken aback," Stock said. "But I can't help feeling lucky to have witnessed something like this. I've seen black-headed pythons munch on an eastern brown snake and even a yellow spotted monitor before, but this was a first-a black-headed python feasting on one of its own."
Dr. Stokes says cannibalism isn't entirely uncommon in black-headed pythons. This behavior is documented in this species in captivity and has been reported in the wild. According to Dr. Stokes, these snakes prefer reptiles over mammals and are willing to eat reptiles bigger than themselves, including goannas and venomous snakes. "It's no surprise that they'd munch on another python if the opportunity presented itself," Stokes says. "Plus, by doing so, they're essentially reducing competition for resources in their territory."
Though not everyone would consider seeing this encounter "lucky," it is undoubtedly interesting and quite rare to witness firsthand. In the wild world of Australian pythons, nature keeps us guessing around every twist.
