Cerastes cerastes, Wadi Abd el Melik, 27th October, 2004
This photo sequence is possibly the first one of a horned viper feeding in the wild. It was definitely a once in a lifetime chance, in all my years of desert travels I have never even seen a live Cerastes before this day. The timeline is taken from the original photograph timestamps.
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17:05 The snake is spotted under a shrub in a small grove of Fagonia arabica |
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17:28:26 The snake struck a few seconds earlier |
17:28:56 The bird still struggling to get away |
17:29:36 Poison starting take effect |
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17:30:46 Bird shows no sign of life |
17:31:40 Snake lets go, bird dead |
17:32:26 Assessing the prey |
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17:33:00 Having a try... |
17:33:18 Still looking for the right place to start |
17:33:54 Found the head, starting to swallow |
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17:34:26 Head in |
17:35:58 Body starts to follow |
17:37:20 |
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17:39:40 Half done |
17:39:54 |
17:40:54 Struggling with the legs |
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17:41:26 |
17:42:05 |
17:43:24 |
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17:43:56 Legs starting to disappear |
17:44:08 |
17:44:36 One last gulp |
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17:45:20 Going, going... |
17:46:10 ...gone |
17:47:00 The bulge continues moving down |
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17:48:46 |
17:52:20 A very content viper |
17:52:58 |
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17:53:32 I wonder what all the fuss is about ... ? |
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