Deadly snake spotted devouring huge lizard on Australian beach
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}(Credit: Holly King)
It’s not what you expect to see on a walk along the beach. But visitors to a popular Western Australian beach made a terrifying discovery after coming across a hungry snake making a meal of a massive lizard.
The snake was spotted feasting on the lizard at Little Beach near Albany by Holly King and Sinead Hart.
Disturbing pictures show the snake, believed to be a dugite, in the middle of devouring a huge lizard.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}SNAKE FOUND COVERED WITH MORE THAN 500 TICKS
Ms. Hart told the Albany Advertiser that the pair were on their morning walk along the popular beach when they spotted the unusual sight.
“It already had the lizard in its mouth once we got a picture,” she said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“We kept walking and it was gone by the time we got back.”
Dugites are native to Western Australia and have a highly venomous and potentially lethal bite.
(Credit: Holly King)
These snakes are responsible for around 70 percent of all snake bites reported at Perth Hospital.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Social media users were horrified at the sight of the massive snake.
“That’s a nope from me,” one person said.
“The size of the snake is enormous, this is why I don’t do camping,” another wrote.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}One added: “Think you’ll find the scientific name for that is a nope rope. Bloody long one at that.”
This isn’t the first time people have had close encounters with dugites in Western Australia.
Last year a Perth wildlife photographer was forced to ditch his camera after a close-up photo shoot of a snake got a little too close for comfort.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}(Credit: Holly King)
Ross McGibbon, photographer and professional snake catcher, was filming the dugite moving through grass at Lort River near Esperance, when the snake took an interest in his camera.
“I had to surrender my camera to the snake while it explored it with interest,” Mr. McGibbon wrote on Facebook.
“The snake then decided I was in-between it and its escape route. Watch as the snake uses defensive posturing to intimidate me into retreating to allow it room to escape.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Mr. McGibbon clarified that this behavior was instinctual and shouldn’t be mistaken for aggression or chasing and that snakes usually only bite humans as a “last resort” when trying to escape.
“It is certainly not because snakes are evil and want to harm people and their pets. They are simply wild animals trying to survive in a hostile environment,” he said.
While the idea of being that close to a snake may be terrifying for some, Mr. McGibbon said that he posted the video and explainer to help break down the negative stigma that surrounded snakes.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}This story originally appeared in news.com.au.