Snake Uneats a Tapir

Don't know the background here. Not for those with weak stomachs, pretty incredible though.

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I'm always amazed at how big of a roden my snakes can eat. I've got a yearling Vietnamese Blue Beauty that somehow eats mice whose heads are larger than his own, and then eats two more. He has a name, but we call him Vishnu, Destroyer of Mice. He's also a fast little SOB.

I'd have to say, based on the feet walking by, it's very unlikely it was reversed.

That is really incredible footage.

Definitely uneating. Notice how fast the rest of the tapir comes out once the largest part is goes past the jaws. It would take mucc more time to ingest the first part of the tapit. Also, not that the jaws are not working in reverse, they are motionless. Ingesting a large animal takes a lot of jaw work to force the meal in.

By natural cynic (not verified) on 18 Sep 2008 #permalink

That was amazing. Do snakes regularly 'uneat' things they've swallowed?

maybe the snake got fed up with all the people around and just wanted to slither off somewhere quiet, which lugging around a giant meal would inhibit somewhat.

Yes, Bee. Snakes can vomit like the rest of us. Note, however, that this one was being poked and stressed by the surrounding crowd. I, too, want to barf when my girlfriend pokes and harrasses me. Ordinarily, a snake with a proportionately large meal may lie immobile for days or more.

I've never really understand the evolution behind eating large prey whole...it looks painful and the snake is vunerable & sluggish while full. The only benefit I can imagine is that you don't have to share...

alan is absolutly right...the snake was abandoning the prey in hopes to get away from the danger...being poked and prodded by the guy with the boat paddle. This is a snakes instinct... he knows he cannot slither away while digesting a hippo, lol

I am echoing the very rational comments above. This is an example of any predatory spp, giving up its large meal in the hopes of escaping death. I'm all for freaky videos but this one is of blatant abuse. IMHO.
This isnt against our Blem/Bro friends Just saying is all. :D

By arachnophile (not verified) on 21 Sep 2008 #permalink

Thanks for the answer. I don't know why I had assumed snakes didn't vomit. We only have three species of snake around here, the largest being the garter snake, so I don't see them 'after dinner' too often and they're not eating anything much bigger than a mouse - and more slugs than mice.

I hope the boat-paddle guy is the snake's next meal. Let him digest in peace!

Yep, that's a tapir for sure, being barfed up by an anaconda. Narration is in Portuguese, so I assume a Brazilian source.
I studied a population of garter snakes for a few years and they'd often regurgitate recent meals upon capture (we only found out there were salamander larvae in the deep parts of the pond when snakes "showed" us). I suspect it functions both to lighten the load to facilitate escape, and also might disgust and distract a predator.

By Sven DIMilo (not verified) on 22 Sep 2008 #permalink