Hungry Heron Drives Away Snake After Fighting for Fish

A photographer in India has captured the rare moment a heron and a snake fought in a lake over a fish dinner.

The determined bird managed to catch a fish from a lake in Telangana, India with its long beak and then tried to pull its lunch out of the water.

Hungry: The heron has seen its lunch splashing in the water and is about to use its long beak to snatch it up in one fell swoop.

This is one heavy fish! The heron gets more than she bargained for when she grabbed the fish that the snake had apparently begun to eat…before they pulled it out of the water.

Seekers, keepers: the snake was determined to withhold its food and sank its fangs deep into the fish’s body for as long as it could.

A fierce tug-of-war ensued with neither party ready to drop the prized catch. Amateur photographer Sunny Inaganti captured these stunning images in the southern Indian state of Telangana.

The long-legged bird seemed hungrier than its scaly foe and here it is about to steal the snake’s food once and for all.

Get off: The heron held the fish in its beak and pulled until the snake had no choice but to give up its dinner and slide back into the water to find more food.

At Last: Proud of her achievement, the heron devoured her fish dinner on a nearby rock in full view of the photographer who captured the photos in stunning detail.

Going: With the snake back in the water, the bird quickly munched on its food.

Missing: The remains of the fish are clearly visible languishing in the heron’s throat, but more importantly for the bird, it got a much-needed meal.

Gray herons can be found in temperate Europe and Asia and also in parts of Africa. The species’ diet consists of fish, amphibians, small mammals, insects, and sometimes even snakes, which it catches in shallow water with its long bill.

This heron was brave in taking on the snake which could have been poisonous due to its location in South India where many poisonous snakes lurk. However, it is not clear which species it was from the photos. It seems this heron doesn’t like snakes, but if it did, the bird could have had two meals in one!