When This Python Tried to Eat an Antelope, Things Took a ‘Sharp’ Turn

The post Things took a “dramatic” turn when this python tried to eat an antelope appeared first on AZ Animals.

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Quick shot

• African rock pythons are powerful pythons capable of swallowing prey much wider than their heads.

• Horned antelopes like duikers can present unexpected challenges during the swallowing process.

• If feeding becomes dangerous or physically difficult, the snake may abandon or regurgitate its prey.

Wild predators must hunt or forage regularly to survive. While many animals eat grass or scavenge, large pythons rely on overwhelming and swallowing their prey whole. But even experienced predators can make a mistake.

Visitors to South Africa’s Kruger National Park captured this video of a large python entwining a duiker, a small African antelope. The only native large python species in Kruger is the African rock python, one of the largest snakes in Africa.

African rock pythons are powerful pythons. After striking and grabbing prey with their backward-curved teeth, they coil around the animal and hold on to the prey. Contrary to popular myth, the contractions do not “crush” the prey, but rather restrict blood flow and breathing, causing the prey to quickly lose consciousness.

Once the prey is subdued, the snake begins the process of slowly swallowing it whole. Snakes have highly mobile skulls and loosely connected jaws that allow them to eat animals much wider than their heads. As the snake alternates sides of its jaw, the elastic ligaments stretch, gradually “walking” the prey inward.

When a horn becomes a danger

Although duikers are small, their horns are short and pointed, which can complicate swallowing. Most duiker species have straight, backward-pointing horns that range in length from a few inches to about 4-7 inches, depending on the species.

In some cases, horned prey may become lodged in the snake’s mouth or throat during ingestion. If prey cannot be swallowed safely, snakes will regurgitate the food. Reflux is energy-intensive and stressful for the animal, but it can prevent serious injury.

There is no proven scientific evidence that the horns of duikers often “pierce” the skulls of pythons while feeding. However, if the angle is improperly positioned, it can cause internal injuries or difficulty swallowing.

Can pythons really eat antelopes?

Yes. African rock pythons are known to prey on mammals, ranging from rodents and birds to monkeys, duikers and even baby warthogs. There are documented cases of them being able to eat small antelopes under the right circumstances.

Snakes do not open their mouths in an articulated manner. Instead, their skulls are moveable and connected by flexible ligaments, allowing for extraordinary expansion. This anatomical adaptation allows them to swallow prey much larger than the diameter of their head.

There are more than 40 recognized species of pythons worldwide, found in Africa, Asia and Australia. In southern Africa, the African rock python is the largest and most common species.

Why do snakes give up their prey?

Predators sometimes give up on a hunt if:

• Prey becomes difficult to swallow or dangerous

• Approach by humans or other animals

• Energy costs outweigh benefits

It’s not unheard of for large snakes to abandon their prey, especially if they have trouble swallowing.

In Krueger’s footage, the python eventually breaks away from the antelope and walks away. Without a veterinary examination or follow-up observations, it’s impossible to determine whether the snake suffered lasting damage.

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The post Things took a “dramatic” turn when this python tried to eat an antelope appeared first on AZ Animals.