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Sunday 4 November 2012

The Fight of its life: Snake vs Chinese Pond Heron



A patient hunting Chinese Pond Heron caught my eye on the mudflat. 


Suddenly it picked up something from the mud. At first I thought it was a mudskipper.



When the heron had trouble pulling it out, I realized it was something more exciting than a mudskipper.


In fact, it was a snake!


While the heron may have been pleased with its catch, the snake, on the other hand, wasn’t prepared to give up its life without a fight.




It managed to get away from the heron a couple of times.




However, the heron wasn’t going to let its catch go easily either. Then, unexpectedly, the snake became very aggressive.




I thought the snake was going to attack the heron, but all of a sudden it did a runner!

Unfortunately for the tough snake, the heron seemed determined to get its meal.



The snake fought even harder to get away.



Finally, it looked as though the snake had lost its battle. 


As soon as the heron tried to swallow it, 



astonishingly (to both me and the heron), the snake fought back again and tried once more to flee! 



This time, however, the snake’s fate was sealed.




Even inside the heron’s mouth, the struggle didn’t stop. Sadly, it was not the snake’s day.   



The heron had its meal at last, 




and a well “deserved” rest. 



 The fight lasted for 6 minutes.


26 comments:

Bob Bushell said...

1-0 to the Heron. Brilliant photography.

Bas. said...

o wat mooi heb je dit kunnen vastleggen,heel de strijd hebben we zodoende kunnen volgen,heel knap en mooi gedaan.

Giga said...

Przeszedł po mnie dreszcz emocji patrząc na walkę czapli z wężem. Niesamowita była Twoja spostrzegawczość. Zdjęcia są wspaniałe. Pozdrawiam serdecznie.
He went after me a thrill looking at the fight heron with a hose. Your perception was amazing. The photos are great. Yours sincerely.

chica said...

Mais uma linda série de belas fotos! abraços,chica

YTSL said...

Wow, that is AMAZING! The contest -- and your photos chronicling it! :O

John @ Beans and I on the Loose said...

I was rooting for the snake hoping this would be one encounter that ended up with the bird losing out. Wonderful though that you were witness to it all. Well done.

Maria said...

Great story with the snake, I usually see these fights but with fish.

eileeninmd said...

Awesome shots of the heron! Cool sighting!

TexWisGirl said...

what great shots! this heron is a lot like our green heron. so neat to watch the battle through your lens!

Monts said...

A real piece of photo journalism where every picture tells a story.
Great Stuff.

Isidro Ortiz said...

Excelente serie de esta Garza capturando la culebra,enhorabuena por este trabajo.Saludos

Montanagirl said...

Oh my goodness, that was amazing! Fabulous shots of the whole incident!

Jason Thompson said...

Superb set of pictures!

Unknown said...

Like an earlier commenter, I was rooting for the snake (tho' Heron's have to eat) It is an honor to witness the struggle for survival. Your photo chronicle is superb!

Debbie said...

the circle of life, you captured it well!!

i too, was rooting for the snake ;))

john said...

I pulled out my guide to the reptiles of Southeast Asia for clues as to the identity of the snake. My best guess is that it was a Dog-faced Water Snake, (cerberus rynchops) Great series of photos.

Kirsti said...

On hieno kuvasarja jäleen:)

Choy Wai Mun said...

Great documentation and well taken images.

Here I Am Carrie said...

What an amazing series of photos. Just makes my stomach hurt though thinking of the snake crawling around in the herons stomach till it's acids start to break it down. I wonder also could the snake crawl right down through the digestive system and out the back door. Just awesome photos.

Joanne Olivieri said...

Wow! Your being able to capture each moment of this fight for survival is amazing. Such wonderful details and what struck me was the confident and calm nature of the heron. Fantastic post.

Joanne Olivieri said...

Wow! Your being able to capture each moment of this fight for survival is amazing. Such wonderful details and what struck me was the confident and calm nature of the heron. Fantastic post.

Helma said...

What a great series of photos of the heron! Great as you show him a worm or snake out of the mud draws. This I have not seen before. Just fantastic!
Sincerely, Helma

Joop Zand said...

Thats a great serie..... very well done.

Greetings, Joop

http://joopzandfotografie.blogspot.nl

Unknown said...

Fantastic set of images.

Andrew said...

Excellent documentary series - much enjoyed by me and the heron but not the snake ;-)

natuurkieker Coby Koops said...

Wow what an amazing series of pictures.
Really "a once in a lifetime"- situation!
Natuurkieker Coby