Astonishing Footage Of Python Devouring Wallaby
Flood’s earlier in the year in the far North of Australia resulted in widespread devastation of local agriculture. As the waters rose, half a million cattle were wiped out and there was a humanitarian crisis. Humans weren’t the only species affected, wildlife was affected with crocodiles washed downstream whilst those animals who were hiding were flushed out. There is no better example than this video of a scrub python gobbling up a wallaby in Queensland.
Scrub pythons are Australia’s largest land-based predator
If you watch the video which was filmed by John Boettcher you can see the scrub python completing its marsupial meal. The floods had probably swept the snake into a residential property although there have been previous sightings of pythons munching on wallabies before. The scrub python is the longest snake in Australia and quite possibly the largest land-based predator in the country. Some reports have described scrub pythons measuring eight metres. These snakes are ambush predators. They tend to lay in wait, concealed by either trees or long grass before striking at unsuspecting prey.
Few interactions with humans
Scrub pythons constrict and crush their prey using their muscular bodies before swallowing them whole. Fortunately, humans are not on the menu, though there have been some incidents. Recently a 14-year-old Queensland boy awoke to a python that had wrapped itself around his arm, whilst another incident involved a snake that had to be rushed to emergency after consuming a stuffed animal. In general, however scrub pythons prefer to avoid humans.
Climate change
However, the weather at the beginning of the year has most likely responsible. This summer was particularly hostile even by Australian standards. The climate of the country is characterised sweltering by heatwaves, bush fires tend to rage and severe flooding is routine. The weather events last summer were especially extreme and many residents are now starting to fret that climate change has begun to extract its toll.