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Pic by Sambath Subbaiah/Caters News – (Pictured: The eagle and snake fight to the death in Tamilnadu on the outskirts of Chennai, India.) – The moment of mortal combat between a bird of prey and a rat snake has been caught on camera. Sambath Subbaiah, 34, a product manager from Chennai, India, was visiting the area of Tamilnadu, last month, along with his friend Ganesh Jayaraman and his six-year old daughter, Deeksha Diya. Sambath images showcase the impressive rat snake and eagle fighting one another before the short toed eagle inevitably wins, swallowing the snake in one gulp. SEE CATERS COPY.
This is BirdNote. Snake-eagles are pretty incredible. That name — “snake-eagle” — may conjure up some kind of fearsome sci-fi hybrid, spawned in a secret laboratory. But snake-eagles are for real. And they are awesome, big birds of prey. When a soaring snake-eagle spots a delicious snake, it swoops down suddenly, grabbing with its talons.
Then it immediately flies upward, as the snake writhes and strikes. The first order of business is to minimize the danger, so the eagle crushes or tears off the snake’s head.
Still on the wing, it then swallows the entire snake, head first. Snake-eagles are a bit smaller than Bald Eagles. There are six different species. And they live mainly in Africa, although one ranges as far as Europe and India.
Snake-eagle legs and toes are covered in thick scales that help protect them from bites. And bites are a serious risk: snake-eagles take on some of the swiftest and deadliest snakes in the world, like cobras and black mambas.
But not every meal is a battle with a deadly adversary. When not snatching snakes, snake-eagles may also hunt lizards, rodents, and even bats or fish. For BirdNote, I’m Michael Stein. BirdNote is flying south in March 2018. We’ll experience Costa Rica’s amazing birds and wildlife– and you can join us!
