A photographer in India has captured the unusual moment a heron and snake fought it out in a lake for a fish supper.
The determined bird managed to nab a fish from a lake in Telangana, India with its long bill and then tried to pull its lunch out from the water.
However it was unaware that a hungry snake already had the poor fish in its mouth and wasn’t about to give up a meal without a fight. A lot of splashing was to follow.
Hungry: The heron has spotted its lunch splashing in the water and is about to use its long bill to catch it in one strike
This is a heavy fish! The heron gets more than it bargained for when it clutched the fish which the snake had seemingly started eating…before it was lifted out of the water
Finders keepers: The snake was determined to kepp hold of its food and sunk its fangs deep in the fish’s body for as long as it could
A vicious tug of war ensued with neither party ready to let go of the prized catch. Amateur photographer Sunny Inaganti captured these stunning images in the state of Telangana in southern India
The leggy bird seemed to be hungrier that its scaly foe and here is on the verge of hijacking the snake’s meal once and for all
Get off: The heron held the fish in its beak and tugged until the snake had no choice but to give up its dinner and slither back into the water to find more food
At last: Proud of his accomplishment, the heron devoured its fish supper on a nearby rock in full view of the photographer who captured the photos in stunning detail
Going: With the snake back in the water the bird quickly snapped at its food
Gone: The fish’s remains are clearly visible languishing in the heron’s throat but the most important thing for the bird is that it got a much needed meal
Grey herons can be found throughout temperate Europe and Asia and also parts of Africa. The species’ diet consists of fish, amphibians, small mammals, insects and sometimes even snakes, which are taken in shallow water with its long bill
This heron was brave to take on the snake which could have been venomous owing to its location in southern India where a lot of poisonous serpents lurk. However it is unclear what species it was from the photos. It appears this heron doesn’t have a taste for snakes but if it did the bird could have got two meals in one!
