Cannibal cobra devours Burmese python whole in rare wild footage
How do you eat a python? One giant cobra at a time.
Footage captured the incredible moment a “cannibal” cobra decided to turn on its own kind and devour a monster python in India.
The spine-tingling footage, shot by onlookers in Mysuru, Karnataka, shows the venomous Indian cobra ingesting the three-foot Burmese python, a giant constrictor native to Southeast Asia.
According to Jam Press, the python died quickly from the cobra’s venom, whereupon it was gobbled up in one, drawn-out bite like a scaly sausage.
Snakes have flexible jaws that allow them to consume prey larger than their head which explains why the elapid was able to swallow such a thick constrictor.
Nonetheless, this was no mean “feast” given that Burmese pythons can grow to 23 feet long and 200 pounds, making it one of the largest snakes on earth.
By comparison, most Indian cobras range between three and five feet in length.
While this act of herpetological cannibalism may seem rare, cobras are no stranger to snacking on other serpents.
The King Cobra — which is the largest venomous snake in the world, growing to 18 feet long — specializes in targeting its own kind like a reptilian version of the titular serial killer from “Dexter.”
It’s even been known to take on the mighty reticulated python, the longest snake in the world with a maximum length of around 33 feet long.
In a viral photo from several years back, the cannibal reptile was seen locked in a battle to the death with latter, marking the ultimate striker vs grappler matchup.
Unfortunately, the herpetological heavyweight bout ended in a draw: The python succumbed to the cobra’s venomous bite while the KC was asphyxiated by the constrictor’s coils.
No word as to whether cobras can be used to combat the ongoing invasive Burmese python plague ravaging Florida.
According to a recent study, the booming Burmese python population in Panhandle’s southern region and into Everglades National Park has made scientists believe that eradicating the species from South Florida is impossible.
