THE 3.9m African rock python that became an overnight internet sensation was found dead six days after it ate a 13.8 kilogram porcupine.
An autopsy showed porcupine quills lodged in the snake’s digestive tract.
Johannesburg-based Jean-Claude Chanu could hardly believe what he was seeing when he discovered the python, which had a inflated digestive system from swallowing a small animal, while mountain biking at Lake Eland Game Reserve on Sunday, June 16.
Speaking to the Herald, Jennifer Fuller, the general manager of Lake Eland Game Reserve said nobody could confirm why the snake died but experts have suggested that the snake could have been under stress from so many people trying to view it or that it perhaps couldn’t regurgitate the meal due to the porcupine’s quills.
However, Ms Fuller said it was not uncommon for pythons to eat porcupines.
The photographs of the python which were first posted on Lake Eland Game Reserve facebook page created a surprisingly amount of international media and public interest.
“It was a great pleasure to know that so many people are interested in nature,” said Ms Fuller.
Ms Fuller added they would keep the snake’s skin.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE PHOTOS
DID YOU KNOW?
Click on the words highlighted in red to read more on this and related topics.
To receive news links via BBM, add us using the pin 2BABF7D1.
The South Coast Herald is also on Facebook and Twitter – why not join us there?
