by In Australia, a ʜᴏʀʀɪʙʟᴇ incident was recorded on tape as an eastern brown snake sᴡᴀʟʟᴏᴡed a carpet python. If you’re not a fan of snakes, you should definitely turn away now. Even if you are a fan, this video of an eastern brown snake ᴅᴇᴠᴏᴜʀɪɴɢ a python whole may make you sɪᴄᴋ.
On Monday, a woman hanging up laundry in Goodna, near Brisbane, got quite a sᴛᴀʀᴛʟᴇ when she discovered one on her patio. The homeowner called the Hills, who quickly arrived on the scene (and filmed some of it on their cell phones).
The huge eastern brown snake (Pseudonaja textilis) had ᴀᴛᴛᴀᴄᴋed and ʙɪᴛᴛᴇɴ a nonᴠᴇɴᴏᴍᴏᴜs carpet python, according to Sally Hill, who owns N & S Snakecatcher with her husband Norm.
The ɴᴇᴜʀᴏᴛᴏxɪᴄ ᴠᴇɴᴏᴍ of an eastern brown can ᴋɪʟʟ a human being within 15 minutes if not ᴛʀᴇᴀᴛᴇᴅ with ᴀɴᴛɪᴠᴇɴɪɴ. After the initial ʙᴀᴛᴛʟᴇ, the eastern brown reᴛʀᴇᴀᴛᴇᴅ for a few minutes. When the python slipped into ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ—thanks to the ᴘᴏᴡᴇʀꜰᴜʟ ᴠᴇɴᴏᴍ—the other snake returned and began sᴡᴀʟʟᴏᴡɪɴɢ its ᴘʀᴇʏ whole.
The snake eventually slithered into a strategically placed bag, where it was allowed to finish its meal in privacy. Disturbing the snake mid-snack could cause it to regurgitate and create an even slimier problem, according to Hill.
After that, the Hills took the snake several miles out of town to a wilderness area and released it. The snake never regurgitated its giant meal, a sign that it was not overly sᴛʀᴇssᴇᴅ, and it seemed to be healthy as it returned to the bush.
The whole ᴇɴᴄᴏᴜɴᴛᴇʀ was quite unusual, as eastern browns aren’t known to regularly feed on carpet pythons, says Hill. Eastern browns are more commonly seen feasting on mice, rats, and birds. They are occasionally seen ᴇᴀᴛɪɴɢ their own kind or other, smaller snakes.
Found along Australia’s East Coast, the eastern brown lives in a variety of habitats and is most active during the day, meaning it is frequently seen. The snake has an average length of three and a half to nearly six feet.
Carpet pythons (Morelia spilota) can grow up to 13 feet long and weigh up to 33 pounds, although the average adult size is about six and a half feet long. They are semi-arboreal, meaning they spend much of their time in trees, and are largely nocturnal.
