Trace 'dick' to grab the chance to attack the snake which is laying eggs

Taking advantage of the female snake that is laying eggs, the moment it is most vulnerable, the big 'wise' centipede shoots the opportunity to quickly attack, knock it down and turn it into a nutritious meal.

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Biologists at the Sakaerat Environmental Research Station in Thailand have recorded an image of a centipede attacking and eating a spawning snake.

Trace 'dick' to grab the chance to attack the snake which is laying eggs Picture 1
Use the foot with the poisonous nails to grip the snake.(Photo: Science Alert.)

Scientists identified this centipede as Scolopendra dawydoffi centipede. This is a large and aggressive centipede. They are common in Southeast Asia. The snake belongs to the black-headed triangle snake Sibynophis triangularis.

The food of Scolopendra dawydoffi centipede not only contains insects but also many small vertebrates. Scientists have encountered the case of Scolopendrid centipedes that re-nourish pups, lizards, bats, and even birds.

The team said that when they discovered the centipede, it used its legs to tighten it around the snake. It stabbed poisonous nails into the snake so that the prey could not move.

The snake has just finished laying three eggs and there are two more left in the body to be attacked.

Trace 'dick' to grab the chance to attack the snake which is laying eggs Picture 2
The snake cannot struggle due to being injected with poison from the centipede's leg.(Photo: Cosmos Magazine.)

This is the first time it has been recorded that a centipede case attacks an egg-laying vertebrate. According to the team, giant centipedes can eat vertebrates more often than scientists once thought, because compared to crickets or beetles the amount of nutrients from snakes or toads is much greater. .