Great Egret versus Water Moccasin
I was able to capture these amazing shots of a Great Egret who had just captured what I believe is a Water Moccasin.
The Egret had it hanging from its mouth, but the snake was still swinging around at times.
Here you can see the Moccasin twisting in an attempt to escape.
When the Mocassin fought the Egret would clamp down hard and shake its head side to side or up and down.
After a few minutes I could see the Egret appeared a bit frustrated.
The Egret was pacing back and forth. I sensed it wasn't going to let go but it also wasn't certain how to eat the Moccasin.
The Egret turned out to be methodical and patient.
It dunked the Mocassin into the water for a few seconds.
Then a moment frozen in time as both Egret and Moccasin paused.
Another dunking for the Moccasin, this time a little longer and more violent.
The Mocassin wasn't struggling much after that.
One more dunk for good measure.
In one swift and agile motion the Egret threw the Moccasin down its throat.
The Egret looked bent out of shape for a few seconds, almost to comical proportions.
A satiated Egret after a hard fought battle.
All pictures taken by @rawruss with a Nikon D3400 w/ 70-300mm lens on August 23, 2018 in North Florida.
I wondered who the predator was to keep the snake population down. It all works well when they're in their natural habitat & the ecosystem is intact.
I appreciate and respect snakes, but Water Moccasins are venomous and bite people often. I was surprised to see the Egrets eat them, but after seeing this in person and checking online... they sure do.
Wow! That's a really good sequence of photos. How long did the whole thing take?
I think it was about 8 to 10 minutes. After the Egret swallowed the Moccasin he sat there for about one minute and then started hunting again.
lovely, beautiful.
Cheers :)
great pics I really like nature like this.
Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I was fascinated as I watched the scene play out. Nature in motion!
Wow, great shots. I never forget the day we were riding bikes and a very large egret took flight just above us with a very long snake hanging from its mouth! Kind of disconcerting lol
Thank you fellow Floridian. Haha... Yes that would spike your pulse to look up and see that! Now that would have been an amazing photo!
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