3-Meter Burmese Python Swallows Larger Reticulated Python from Tail to Head in Two Hours.
For the first time, a Burmese python was observed hunting and consuming a reticulated python. (Photo: Adnan Azad).
A Burmese python was spotted attacking and swallowing a reticulated python at Akiz Wildlife Farm in Chittagong, Bangladesh. This unusual encounter marks the first recorded case of the two largest snake species hunting each other, according to Live Science. Researchers in India observed this rare event in 2020 and documented the moment when the Burmese python (Python bivittatus) began to consume the reticulated python (Malayopython reticulatus) from the tail, despite the prey still being alive. It took approximately two hours to fully consume the prey, as reported in the journal Reptiles and Amphibians.
“This is a truly unusual situation to find these two species of pythons in the same area,” commented Ashikur Rahman Shome, a co-author of the study and a wildlife ecologist at the University of Dhaka in Bangladesh.
When the research team arrived, the 3-meter-long Burmese python was coiled around the slightly larger reticulated python. The reticulated python attempted to fight back by constricting its foe, but ultimately its grip weakened, leading to its consumption. Burmese pythons can grow up to 5.8 meters, while reticulated pythons can reach a maximum length of 7.6 meters.
Akiz Wildlife Farm is one of the few places where the habitats of Burmese pythons and reticulated pythons overlap. Both species typically prey on similar animals, including mammals, birds, and lizards. Researchers are still uncertain why the reticulated python was eaten, given the availability of better food options in the area. It could be a territorial dispute, and preying on a competitor might be an easier way to resolve the conflict.
“To our knowledge, this observation represents the first recorded instance of M. reticulatus being preyed upon by P. bivittatus,” the research team concluded.
