Confusing its own tail for prey, a king snake ended up swallowing its own body, leaving viewers astonished.
This perplexing scene was captured by snake expert Jesse Rothacker at the Forgotten Friend Reptile Sanctuary in Elm, Pennsylvania, USA.
The king snake is swallowing half of its body.
In the video, a king snake was seen swallowing half of its own body. The snake then became stuck and was unable to free itself.
To rescue the snake, Rothacker gently tapped its nose to encourage it to open its jaws wide. However, as the king snake remained stubborn, he had to use his fingernails to pry the fangs and pull half of the snake’s tail out of its mouth.
It is known that some snake species vigorously wave their tails to attract prey, but this behavior can sometimes lead to confusion, causing them to mistake their own tail for food and attempt to “devour” it.
If the scent of any prey lingers on the snake’s body, it can also lead to confusion, resulting in the snake swallowing its own tail while believing it is consuming prey.
The act of self-cannibalism in snakes is not intentional, and this unfortunate confusion may stem from their habit of consuming their own kind.
