The life-or-death battle of the lizard and venomous snake took place right on the road, but unfortunately for the lizard, it was strangled to death by the venomous snake.
A kingsnake came ᴄʟᴏsᴇ to swallowing this alligator lizard whole, yet it chose to ғɪɢʜᴛ back instead of being ᴋɪʟʟed. The brave reptile, unable to accept that it would end up as dinner, clung tenaciously to the California kingsnake.
Bryan Snyder, a Santa Barbara, California, naturalist and author, captured the strange images while enjoying a morning stroll through the Santa Ynez Valley.
According to Bryan, a California kingsnake grabbed the body of an alligator lizard to sʜᴏᴄᴋ it, but the lizard hooked onto the snake’s body before it could turn to consume the snake head-first. The lizard attempted to ᴄʟᴏsᴇ its jaws around the snake’s body since there was only the alligator lizard’s head left for it to eat.
Typically, snakes will eat head-first lizards like this one. The snake was forced to ᴀᴛᴛᴀᴄᴋ in the opposite direction due to the lizard’s location and its desperation.
And what is the strangest thing? The lizard succeeded! Before crawling away and successfully escaping, it harmed the snake.
Kingsnakes frequently prey on alligator lizards in the backwoods of California, so witnessing anything like this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Wild! When it comes to ʜᴜɴᴛing, California kingsnakes are fairly opportunistic. They will ʜᴜɴᴛ rattlesnakes and other snakes in addition to rodents and smaller reptiles.
