Green vine snake swallows a WHOLE garden lizard after lunging from a tree branch and clamping the other reptile in its mouth in India
- The lethal predator lunged suddenly from a tree to clamp its mouth around the helpless garden lizard’s head
- The snake, which can grow to 5ft long, stretched its mouth and proceeded to swallow the other reptile whole
- The close-up pictures were taken at Bhadra Tiger Reserve near Chikkamagalor, in Karnataka state, India
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This is the moment a green vine snake opens its mouth wide as it swallows an entire lizard.
The lethal predator lunged suddenly to clamp its mouth around the helpless garden lizard’s head, leaving the other reptile dangling from a tree.
The snake, which can grow to 5ft long, stretched its mouth and then proceeded to swallow it whole.
Venky Kishor captured photos of the snake’s attack at Bhadra Tiger Reserve near Chikkamagalor in Karnataka state, India.
The 28-year-old safari guide from Mysore, in Karnataka state, said: ‘Initially I was only able to make out the outline of the snake as it was lying so still on a tree branch.
‘I was busy trying to take pictures when suddenly it jumped from the branch and managed to cling onto another as it caught the garden lizard in its mouth.
‘The lizard was not able to move its body as it desperately tried to escape from the snake.
‘It tried to move its tail and wriggle from the snake’s grip, but the vine snake had very good balance on the branch and tight grip on the lizard and managed to swallow it whole.
‘I have never seen a vine snake hunt before so it was very interesting to see.’
The snaked jumped from the branch and managed to cling onto another as it caught the garden lizard in its mouth (left), taking a tight grip on the lizard and proceeding to swallow it whole (right)