Pythons are giant snakes that have a bad reputation.
People avoid them, but they do their best to avoid them too because they're sneaky and
will eat anything it can get its jaws on.
Even though it made the wrong choice of prey, this snake still got what was coming to it!
Who eats a porcupine hole, and lives to tell the tale?
Not even this Python lived to tell the tale.
But a passing cyclist snapped a photo of a giant snake that quickly got the attention
of the people.
Nobody knew what it ate, but its massive size was so appealing that people flock to see
the creature.
But what happened to the Python?
Let's watch to find out.
The rock Python is a large non venomous snake.
It is Africa's largest snake and one of the six largest snake species in the world.
So, you bet these reptiles can whip up an appetite.
Just like this rock Python spotted by a cyclist.
It was so engorged nearly to the point of immobility.
We all know that snakes swallow their prey hole, but it's not every day you see an engorged
Python.
So, when the photographer passing by saw the reptile, he got closer to investigate.
And what he found was beyond bizarre.
South Africa is home to some of the largest pythons in the world.
And this particular species was especially large, even by typical Python standards.
As if it weren't big enough, it was engorged in the middle by some huge prey animal.
Obviously, the Python had a large meal.
Lakeeland is located at the South-eastern tip of South Africa.
It is owned by Eric and Trevor.
Dunstone two brothers, it's filled with Bushveld, coastal forests, grasslands and wetland ecosystems.
The name Lakeeland was chosen in honor of the numerous antelope running around the reserve
and of course large pythons.
By African rock Python standards, this one is enormous and really by anyone else's standards
as well.
So, you know why this giant is feared.
Rock pythons are rumoured to grow up to 20 feet long.
Although such huge animals have never been scientifically confirmed.
They max out at around 16 feet; they can also live up to 25 years.
Even so it's unbelievable how wide the Python can expand when eating a large prey.
That's one fat snake!
We're sure you'll freak out or be amazed as well, when you see one in person.
When you see a Python, this huge and bulky, it's hard not to jump to the conclusion that
it swallowed a person, but thankfully that wasn't the case.
We know it's a huge animal.
We're just not sure what kind?!
Some guessed that it had swallowed a young Impala, the animal, not the car!
Others thought it could have been a warthog.
When I first saw these images, the best thing I could come up with was a baby deer.
We were all wrong, very wrong.
It was something, no one would've guessed.
Sadly, the snake was later found dead and researchers were excited to solve the mystery
of what exactly was its last meal.
The Python had died even before it was able to digest its meal.
It was found dead under a Rocky ledge.
Chances are it fell off the edge and was internally damaged by its last meal.
They were eager to discover what kind of animal was inside its guts.
Although it may seem that the snake bit off, more than it could chew.
Or in its case swallow!
But that's nothing compared to how large the snake’s mouth can get.
When its jaw is stretched fully open, it needs to accommodate the large meal.
It really could have been anything in this snake’s gut.
It's hard to guess!
Rock pythons are opportunistic and diverse eaters.
One was even seen swallowing a full-grown antelope.
So how does an animal like a Python expand its body so wide that four legged animals
can fold up inside it.
They first crush the bones of their prey, so it would somehow decrease its size and
fit in its mouth.
They constrict their food and then swallow whole.
Researchers then examine the first row of the Python's vicious backwards curve teeth.
Pythons have many rows of them that sink into their prey and move them downwards into its
oesophagus.
Although it's commonly believed that pythons temporarily disjoint their jaws to swallow
their prey, It's not the case.
The snake’s jaws move almost completely independent of one another anyway, the lower
jaw is loosely connected to the snake skull by a Quadra bone.
Unfortunately, this Python's days of surprising megafauna are over.
When researchers sliced the snake stomach open, they were surprised by this somewhat
disturbing site.
The snakes bulging flesh peels back to reveal the partially digested prey of a very large
porcupine.
The brown objects appear to be vertebrae.
Even at this stage, you really can't tell what the thing is?!
It's a brave snake that will eat a fully grown porcupine, that's as big as a dog.
The gamble obviously did not pay off for the snake though, as it became his last meal.
The porcupines somehow came out of the snake, looking less worse than the snake.
It was huge compared to a typical porcupine, but not that huge in comparison to other members
of its species.
Cape porcupines are the largest rodents in Southern Africa and the largest species of
porcupine in the world.
30 pounds Isn't that unusually large for a Cape porcupine.
The really big ones can grow up to 66 pounds.
Their spines are typically two inches long and are distributed with shorter defensive
quills.
Cape porcupine’s, tail spines are hollow and they shake them to make a warning noise,
just like a rattlesnake.
The researchers who examined the Python's body believe that it likely would've survived,
had it not fallen off the rock ledge under which they found it.
Even with a stomach full of spines!
Even though the porcupine was so large and covered in quills, the Python is a remarkably
tough animal.
When they swallow large prey, they can not only alter their metabolism to help the digestive
process, they can even make their organs smaller to make more room for their food.
Had the Python not fallen off the edge, it would've been able to safely eliminate that
indigestible spine after dissolving the porcupine’s flesh.
Amazing! isn't it?
Though, you would never have thought of it, Porcupines are regular prey animals for pythons.
Most pythons managed to eat porcupines, even large ones without dying.
Although it was possible that the undigested quills punctured its internal organs and killed
it.
The most likely scenario is that the force of the snakes falls from the Rocky ledge led
to internal wounds who would've thought your meal would end up killing you.
Pythons have appetites even larger than their bodies, which can lead them to make some interesting
culinary choices.
A snake was even seen eating a crocodile, so you'll never know!
After removing the porcupine from the snake's gut, its skin was removed.
Researchers were able to collect data that will help us better understand the snakes
and their eating habits.
Rock pythons are not endangered, although they are threatened in some areas due to people
killing them out of fear.
They are particularly large and unpredictable kinds of pythons.
To say that African rock pythons are a threat is not entirely accurate.
The reality is that they pose just nine percent of the risk to native species in Florida,
and 51% of the risk is from native species.
So, if you ever needed to go hunting for some reason the risk may be low for your safety,
but you understand why people might be afraid of them.
After you know about the phenomenon, it might seem clearer to you and be easier for you
to understand your snake's strength.
This proves that we can never really know everything!