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A red-bellied black snake and brown snake became tangled in a struggle to the death in South Australia, and a former professional snake-catcher was there to capture the encounter on video.
Posted to Youtube, the video by Sean Shaw captured the roadside duel, which did not end well for the brown snake. Although the smaller, vanquished reptile is among the most venomous in the world and can be fatal to humans, it was no match for the bigger red-bellied snake, itself not nearly as dangerous as its future dinner.
"I feel sorry for the little brown snake ... it's going to lose." Shaw says in the video, as the reptile tries in vain to bite through its thick-skinned bigger foe.
"After about a 20-minute tussle, the red-bellied black snake eventually was able to swallow the brown snake," Shaw told Adelaide Now. The battle-footage helmer once worked as a snake catcher, according to the site. "When we left," Shaw added, "the brown snake was about half swallowed but [the red-bellied] seemed to have stalled."
In addition to other types of snake and animals such as frogs, the red-bellied black snake will even eat members of its own species. Brown snakes, meanwhile, generally prefer to dine on rodents.
It was only last month that another brown snake was recorded in a duel in Australia, although this time the lethal reptile emerged victorious - over a python, no less.
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Brown snakes are common in South Australia, and residents are advised to leave them alone - not only for their own safety but also because snakes are a protected animal in the Aussie state, and killing them can result in stiff financial penalties.
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