“Nature Will Humble You”: Video of Snake Eating Another Legless Reptile Leaves People Curious

• A snake was filmed possibly swallowing a legless skink in Plettenberg Bay, igniting social media curiosity
• Legless skinks are lizards, vulnerable after rains, prompting discussions among social media users
• Humorous reactions and questions emerged as viewers engaged with the snake's feeding behaviour

Satisfying its hunger, a snake was captured swallowing another legless reptile in Plettenberg Bay. The video prompted reptile enthusiasts to identify the creatures, while other social media users shared their curiosity.

Facebook user Adri Burger headed to the Facebook group Snakes of Southern Africa by herpetologist and naturalist Johan Marais to show the interaction between the two reptiles. Not knowing what featured in the video, Adri asked group members for assistance in figuring out what kind of snake was enjoying its yellow meal.

At least two social media users hypothesised that it was a spotted harlequin eating a Cape legless skink.

Take a look at the Facebook reel below:

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More about legless skinks

According to the African Snakebite Institute, the leading training provider of Snake Awareness, First Aid for Snakebites, and Venomous Snake Handling courses in Africa, legless skinks are lizards, not snakes, with roughly 30 species in southern Africa.

The Cape legless skink, the giant legless skink, and the thin-tailed legless skink are the most common. They spend most of their time living underground and use their enlarged, hardened nose to push earth and leaf litter. Legless skinks would normally come to the surface after heavy rains, making them very vulnerable.

The African Snakebite Institute confirmed that spotted harlequin snakes, as well as common purple gloss snakes, feed on these lizards.

Reptile enthusiasts react to snake feasting

Not many social media users entered the comment section, but those who did shared their queries and insights.

Mike Kennedy humorously shared with the online community:

"Looks like it's swallowing a hose pipe."

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AttractiveTangerine5282 wanted to know:

"A silly question, but does it swallow the whole [lizard] whole? I’m wondering if it chews it. How does one snake fit into another?"

Rethabile Khoapa wrote under the post:

"Nature will humble you."

A curious Gear Grind wondered in the comment section:

"What was the eventual outcome? That skink looks a bit too big for the snake."

Lisa Swanepoel responded to the Facebook user:

"I would also like to know."

3 Other stories about snakes

• In another article, Briefly News reported that a KwaZulu-Natal snake catcher was filmed removing a black mamba from a kitchen drawer with his bare hands, leaving some viewers in disbelief and others feeling a sense of admiration.
• A late-night snake relocation in the Eastern Cape took an unexpected turn when a boomslang bit a snake handler. The aftermath of the unexpected encounter sparked concern and debate as online viewers reacted to the dangerous situation.
• A viral video showed two incredibly massive snakes slithering together and running into an obstacle as they tried to enter someone's property. The reptiles' size floored several social media users in the post's comment section.

Source: Briefly News