Python Cannibalism 06 Stock Footage

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The invasive Burmese python is an opportunistic feeder and when stalking its prey, the snake makes no obvious distinction between preying on a harmless rabbit or a potentially dangerous predator such as the american alligator. Alligators are apex predators and a small gator might not survive the attack of a large python, but it won’t be an easy kill compared to mammals or birds, which only takes a few minutes to asphyxiate. Feeding on an alligator requires a huge amount of energy and can last for hours due to its resilient nature. And to make matters worse, alligators are capable of lowering their heart rate down to one or two beats per minute, which might cause the python to think its prey is dead when in fact the alligator is still alive.
Recording the grim scene of dead alligator protruding from a python’s body is a rare occasion indeed. The young alligator might have clawed its way out of the snake and killing it in the process. However, nothing goes to waste in nature and this hungry alligator will consume both cadavers. Rodents make far less dangerous prey to feed upon. They are usually killed in minutes and swallowed fast, giving that no other predator interrupts the feeding. Cannibalism is not uncommon in the snake world. Coral snakes, water moccasin and many other snakes feed frequently on its own kind. Yet such behavior has rarely been observed with Burmese pythons. It is obvious that the larger python was attracted by the smell of the dead rat, killed by the smaller python, which only needed to drop its prey in order to survive the attack.
A hungry burmese python will not hesitate to kill its own species in the battle for food. The dominate snake coils its powerful body around the smaller python in order to asphyxiate it. In the majority of snake species, only one lung is functioning, yet it still took over half an hour to kill the weaker python. Snakes are extremely vulnerable during feeding and the winner will make sure that its opponent is dead before devouring its prey. After eating the rat, the python continues swallowing its nine foot attachment. The bonus of a double kill is obvious, but it also requires a tremendous amount of energy to feast on such large meal. Its prolonged feeding time also increases the risk of attacking other predators. The whole sequence lasted for more than three hours and the python took a long rest during the feeding. But it was unable to swallow the entire cadaver and the tip of its tail kept hanging out of its mouth when disappearing. If the weather stays warm enough, the digestion will be completed in one week but the python won’t need to feed again for weeks or even months after such large meal.
Python Cannibalism part 01 was filmed by Heiko Kiera aka Ojatro in Florida in 2014.