Frightening Video Shows Python Trying to Aggressively Bite Man Who Was Trying to Feed It
The snake’s owner opens a door, and a snake springs forward directly at him.
So about that adage, "Never bite the hand that feeds you"? One reticulated python didn't get the memo. A viral video posted on Instagram shows the snake trying to attack a man who's merely trying to serve it a chicken dinner. Read on to see the heart-stopping clip, find out how big and powerful reticulated pythons can get, and see why they've been in the news several times in the last few months.
The video was posted on the Instagram account world-of-snakes. In the clip, a man is seen holding a chicken with tongs. He opens a door, and a snake springs forward, directly at him. Luckily, the man backs away and avoids being bitten. As the clip ends, he presents the clearly hungry snake with its poultry entree. Keep reading to learn more and see the video.
The video has garnered more than 25,000 likes on Instagram. "He didn't want that lil chicken he went after his 'big meal'," said one commenter. "He said they're late with feeding me, who ever open up that door is gonna get it!!!" "Me when my food's fresh out the oven," wrote another user. "This is what happens when you only open the cage when it's feeding time," said another.
The reticulated python is the world's longest snake. Native to South and Southeast Asia, they can grow to extreme proportions: An 18-foot python captured in Florida this summer weighed 200 pounds. They are constrictors—meaning, they subdue their prey by squeezing—and can be dangerous to humans. Read on to find out how dangerous.
This isn't the first video featuring a python to go viral in recent months. In June, the Thailand Straits Times reported on a woman who freed a pet cat from being strangled by a python. A factory worker on break saw a 12-foot-snake wrapped around a white cat called Pedro. She whacked the reptile with a child's scooter until it loosened its grip, allowing the cat to escape. "I wanted to help so I picked up the nearest object and just hit the snake to make it let go of the cat," the woman said. "Pedro the cat is like a pet at the factory and we feed him every day, so he's like one of the team and we are all familiar with him. Everyone has watched the video and is glad he's safe."
More tragically, a Pennsylvania man was killed in July by an 18-foot-long snake he was keeping as a pet. Elliot Senseman, 27, died four days after a reticulated python wrapped itself around his neck at his home, cutting off oxygen to his brain. Senseman was a trained snake handler who had rescued the reptile. He was apparently cleaning the snake's tank, and his death was ruled an accident. An animal expert said the snake didn't necessarily have violent intentions. "Most of the time, it is not out of aggression, so there might be situations, like they like to go towards warmth, so they sense body heat," said Cher Vatalaro, director of conservation education at the Lehigh Valley Zoo. "They are constrictors, that is their natural behavior, but obviously that poses a threat."
