Rare moments captures python engaging in cannibalism

A species of snake has been seen engaging in cannibalistic behaviour after the incident was captured on camera.

In Far North Queensland, Australia, a coastal region in the north of Queensland, a black-headed python was witnessed eating another member of the same species.

The rare scene was witnessed at the Australian Wildlife Conservancy’s (AWC) Piccaninny Plains Wildlife Sanctuary where the manager, Nick Stock, was in for quite a shock.

In fact, Stock had to get closer to the snakes to realise that what he was witnessing was a scene of cannibalism, as he saw a black-headed python that had constricted another smaller one and was eating it, tail first.

In a statement about the incident, Stock explained: “Fortunately for me but not-so-fortunately for the python being consumed, it took around 15 minutes from when I first witnessed the initial constriction to the python finishing its meal and returning to its burrow which was only about 10 feet away.”

Nick Stock/Australian Wildlife Conservancy

Stock revealed he grabbed his camera and documented the rare event. While experts have witnessed pythons eating other species of snake, capturing a species eating one of its own kind on camera is unusual.

“I have previously witnessed Black-headed Pythons eating an Eastern Brown Snake and a Yellow Spotted Monitor, however, this was the first time I witnessed a Black-headed Python eating another Black-headed Python,” Stock said.

The behaviour is rarely caught on camera outside of captivity, but ecologist Helena Stokes says the phenomenon is not as uncommon as people might think.

She explained: “Black-headed Pythons prefer to eat reptiles over mammals and are known to eat larger reptiles including goannas, and even venomous snakes, so I’m not surprised that they would consume another python if the opportunity arose.”

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