Scientists filmed two of the largest snakes in the world hunting each other (3 photos)

Scientists have shown how a 10-meter Burmese python swallows a reticulated python whole in just two hours.





Scientists in India have observed a rare event and captured the moment of a fight between two of the largest snakes on the planet. It is believed that this may be the first evidence of these giant snake species hunting each other - scientists have not previously observed anything similar.

Scientists observed the fight itself in 2020 in India, but it was only recently that a team from Dhaka University in Bangladesh was able to describe it in their paper. The fight is known to have occurred between two of the largest snake species on the planet: the Burmese python (Python bivittatus) and the reticulated python (Malayopython reticulatus).



The scientists watched as the Burmese python attacked the reticulated python and then began swallowing it while it was still alive. In total, it took it just two hours to completely swallow the huge snake. According to study co-author and wildlife ecologist Ashikur Rahman Shome, it was truly unusual to find two pythons in the area.



When the scientists arrived, the 10-foot-long Burmese python had wrapped itself around the tail of a slightly larger reticulated python. The reticulated python attempted to fight off the attack by squeezing the Burmese python, but eventually lost its grip and was swallowed whole.

The rare event was captured at a wildlife farm in the Chittagong region of Bangladesh. Researchers say the site is one of the few places where the ranges of Burmese and reticulated pythons overlap. The two giant snake species prey on the same animals, and likely each other.

According to Shome, it is still a mystery why the reticulated python was eaten by the Burmese python, given that there are more delicious prey for the python in the area. Scientists speculate that the python was eaten as a result of a territorial dispute, but they do not know for sure - this is the first case known to science.

Note that Burmese pythons can grow up to 5.8 meters, while reticulated pythons can reach 7.6 meters. Shome notes that in this encounter, the reticulated python was larger than the Burmese, but apparently this did not help it win the fight.