A jaw-dropping display of python power has stunned a ranger on patrol in the Northern Territory.
Paul O’Neill, a ranger at the Nitmiluk National Park near Katherine, was on patrol early on Monday when he noticed a cacophony of bird noises near the tourist visitor centre.
Upon investigating the scene, Mr O’Neill found an olive python in the throes of attempting to swallow an agile wallaby joey.
He managed to take these photos of the python doing its best to chow down on the not so bite-sized meal.
Greg Smith from the Territory Wildlife Park said the snake had almost bitten off more than it could chew with this particular menu item.
“That is about the biggest prey it could eat,” he said.
“That wallaby would take about five to seven days to digest completely and the snake would go and hide for at least a month.
“The snake is of medium build and would probably start to hunt for more tucker within four to eight weeks, depending on the snake.”
Mr Smith said from past experience with breeding and dealing with hundreds of snakes, they have different appetites.
“Some snakes will start looking for food even if they are overweight and have just eaten, but on average that meal would be sufficient to sustain that snake for at least three months,” he said.
The township of Katherine is about 320 kilometres south of Darwin.
