Snake expert Mitchell Thorburn from the Gold Coast Snake Catchers witnessed a eastern brown snake emerging from the mouth of another snake.
Video: Mitchell Thorburn
Thorburn shared the footage capturing the moment a red-bellied black snake slithered with the head of a smaller eastern brown snake protruding from its mouth on Facebook on February 6. The snake catcher noted that it was likely the red-bellied black snake had swallowed its prey whole before he arrived. The eastern brown snake was still alive and flicking its tongue in an attempt to escape.
The red-bellied black snake typically grows to about 1.5 to 2 meters long and is one of the most commonly encountered snake species along the eastern coast of Australia. The Australian Museum describes them as the least dangerous venomous snake in the country. In contrast, the eastern brown snake is responsible for more fatalities in Australia than any other snake species. Both species are similar in size when fully grown, but the brown snake in Thorburn’s video was only a juvenile.
The eastern brown snake was still alive after being swallowed by the red-bellied black snake.
Red-bellied black snakes are not gluttonous and prey on a variety of vertebrates, including fish, tadpoles, frogs, lizards, and other snakes. Thorburn explained that they can avoid the venom of their prey because venom needs to enter the bloodstream through a bite, rather than being swallowed whole. Red-bellied black snakes are known to regularly eat their own kind and are likely somewhat immune to the venom of other snake species.
However, eastern brown snakes can also prey on red-bellied black snakes. In January 2023, a woman in Adelaide filmed a showdown between an eastern brown snake and a red-bellied black snake. In this instance, the brown snake emerged victorious.
