Tumut and Adelong Times 23-01-2009
1
Slimybattleof wills An engrossing reptil- ian encounter was cap- tured on camera recent- ly when a red bellied black snake bit off a bit more than it could chew: Tony Barton of South Gundagai arrived home recently to find a large black snake, almost six feet long in his car park, with what he thought was a stick protruding out of its mouth. Closer inspection revealed that the "stick" was actually the tail of a brown snake that the black was in the process of swallowing. An astonished Tony asked his wife Barbara to keep an eye on the two reptiles while he went to get his camera. She watched as the I black snake finished swallowing the brown I and slithered off. I Tony and Barbara I then sawthe snake a lit- . tle later on their front lawn, but this time, incredibly, the brown snake's head had started to reappear. "The black was pretty I sluggish and it opened its mouth and I saw a : pair of eyes," Tony said "Then the brown snake latched onto the black's bottom jaw and proceeded to pull itself . out - it was covered in Abrown snake latches onto the black snake's lower jaw and proceeds to pull itself out, having a few minutes befqre been swallowed whole. Inset The slimy brown is all but out. Both snakes slithered away following the encounter. slobber. "It must have turned around inside the black and pulled itsel{out." Once the brown snake was outthe "blacksnake took offlike a rocket". Snake experts Janine Kovaks (WIres)and The Snakeman TonyDavisof ~agga both say they; have never heard of a similar incident. "Snakes are cannibal- istic and it is not unusu- al that one snake will swallow another, but they are usuallyasphyx- iated," Janine said. "It's amazing that the brown survived and came out." And, while the black slithered away appar- ently none the worse for its experience, if the brown snake Ilas enven- omated it when it latched onto the black's lower jaw; it could take up to a couple of weeks for the venom to go through its system.
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Transcript of Tumut and Adelong Times 23-01-2009
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Slimybattleof willsAn engrossing reptil-
ian encounter was cap-tured on camera recent-ly when a red belliedblack snake bit off a bitmore than it could chew:
Tony Barton of SouthGundagai arrived homerecently to find a largeblack snake, almost sixfeet long in his car park,with what he thoughtwas a stick protrudingout of its mouth.
Closer inspectionrevealed that the "stick"was actually the tail of abrown snake that theblack was in the processof swallowing.
An astonished Tonyasked his wife Barbarato keep an eye on thetwo reptiles while hewent to get his camera.
She watched as theI black snake finished
swallowing the brownI and slithered off.I Tony and BarbaraI then sawthe snake a lit-. tle later on their front
lawn, but this time,incredibly, the brownsnake's head had startedto reappear.
"The black was prettyI sluggish and it opened
its mouth and I saw a: pair of eyes," Tony said
"Then the brownsnake latched onto theblack's bottom jaw andproceeded to pull itself. out - it was covered in
Abrown snake latches onto the black snake's lower jaw and proceeds topull itself out, having a few minutes befqre been swallowed whole. Inset Theslimy brown is all but out. Both snakes slithered away following theencounter.slobber.
"It must have turnedaround inside the blackand pulled itsel{out."
Once the brown snakewas outthe "blacksnaketook offlike a rocket".
Snake experts JanineKovaks(WIres)and TheSnakemanTonyDavisof~agga both say they;
have never heard of asimilar incident.
"Snakes are cannibal-istic and it is not unusu-al that one snake willswallow another, butthey are usuallyasphyx-iated," Janine said.
"It's amazing that thebrown survived andcame out."
And, while the blackslithered away appar-ently none the worse forits experience, if thebrown snake Ilas enven-omated it when itlatched onto the black'slower jaw; it could takeup to a couple of weeksfor the venom to gothrough its system.
