A squirrel is usually a good meal for a gopher snake, but this week the tables were turned as a brave rodent knocked down its attacker.
A firefighter who had been called to break up the battle took footage of the two battling on a patio chair in Gold Canyon, Arizona.
The two creatures fought for nearly half an hour, astonished a small crowd of onlookers, and showed no signs of giving up.
“It seemed like the squirrel had taken a bit of corn and was simply gnawing on it,” said Ryan Philips, the firefighter who recorded the encounter. Mr Philips told CBS5 that “typically the ground squirrel is food for a snake,” so it was “strange to see the tables turned a little bit.”
Many people believe the ground squirrel is courageous because its nest is close by, which is why it endured the non-venemous snake bite.
When the snake feels danger, it tries to wrap itself around a chair in the yard and hiss to scare the assailant away. The ferocious squirrel, on the other hand, continued to attack the snake’s torso and tail.
Gopher snakes, on the other hand, usually snare them. They can also tunnel into burrows used by ground squirrels to rear their young.
Even after a few unsuccessful attempts to ss the squirrel, the snake eventually returned to the. Firefighters broke up the battle and released the snake back into the desert, which had a few bite marks.
‘I’d say the ground squirrel won this round.’ However, I’m confident there will be a rematch in the future,’ Mr Philips added.
Every year, the Apache Junction Fire District is sent to deal with dozens of snakes. In Arizona, gopher snakes are widespread, yet they’re commonly mistaken for rattle snakes.
