Python Gorged a Porcupine and REGRETS IT
Published on Jun 27, 2015
What happens when a python eats a porcupine? Hint: It's not pretty. A hungry snake in South Africa just found this out the hard way when it ate a porcupine for supper and died less than a week later.
On June 14, a cyclist riding along one of the mountain bike
trails at the Lake Eland Game Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, spotted
this engorged snake.
trails at the Lake Eland Game Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, spotted
this engorged snake.
No one knew at first what the snake had eaten; just that it
must have been something fairly large. Park rangers suspected the python
feasted on a small warthog or a baby impala.
must have been something fairly large. Park rangers suspected the python
feasted on a small warthog or a baby impala.
Less than a week later, on Saturday, June 20, park rangers
found the python dead near the bike trail. When they cut it open, they found a
30-pound (13.8 kilograms) porcupine.
found the python dead near the bike trail. When they cut it open, they found a
30-pound (13.8 kilograms) porcupine.
Believe it or not, pythons and other snakes do sometimes eat
porcupines. However, many snakes end up regretting their choice of snack. A
study published in 2003 in the Phyllomedusa Journal of
Herpetology found
that a porcupine's quills can pierce all the way through a hungry snake's body.
porcupines. However, many snakes end up regretting their choice of snack. A
study published in 2003 in the Phyllomedusa Journal of
Herpetology found
that a porcupine's quills can pierce all the way through a hungry snake's body.
Pythons in the Lake Eland Game Reserve have been spotted
consuming even larger prey than a porcupine. The owner of the reserve, Eric
Dunstone, once saw a python swallow an adult oribi antelope whole, according to
Jennifer Fuller, the reserve's general manager. Oribi bucks can weigh nearly 50
pounds (22.7 kg). In this case, though, it likely wasn't the size of the
porcupine that damaged the snake.
consuming even larger prey than a porcupine. The owner of the reserve, Eric
Dunstone, once saw a python swallow an adult oribi antelope whole, according to
Jennifer Fuller, the reserve's general manager. Oribi bucks can weigh nearly 50
pounds (22.7 kg). In this case, though, it likely wasn't the size of the
porcupine that damaged the snake.
t still isn't clear if this python's spiky meal was actually
responsible for its death, Fuller told Live Science. Rangers found the snake
underneath a rocky ledge, where it had apparently fallen. On impact, the quills
inside its engorged belly may have pierced the python's digestive tract, which
could have killed it.
responsible for its death, Fuller told Live Science. Rangers found the snake
underneath a rocky ledge, where it had apparently fallen. On impact, the quills
inside its engorged belly may have pierced the python's digestive tract, which
could have killed it.
Rangers at the reserve stripped off the python's skin after
removing the porcupine from its digestive track.
removing the porcupine from its digestive track.
Rangers also took measurements of the snake's massive body, which
measured 12.8 feet (3.9 meters) long. The snake's head features a dual set of
lower jaws that move independently of one another, allowing the animal to open
wide to swallow large prey.
measured 12.8 feet (3.9 meters) long. The snake's head features a dual set of
lower jaws that move independently of one another, allowing the animal to open
wide to swallow large prey.
tags: Python,
Porcupine, South Africa, Lake Eland Game Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal
Porcupine, South Africa, Lake Eland Game Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal
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