Fighting back from the clutches of d.e.a.t.h, this alligator lizard was almost devoured whole by a kingsnake — but it chose to fight back. The brave reptile refused to be eaten and clung to the California kingsnake for dear life. Bryan Snyder, a naturalist, and author from Santa Barbara, California, captured the odd photographs while out on an early morning walk in Santa Ynez Valley, CA. “A California kingsnake .s.ʜᴏᴄᴋed an alligator lizard by grasping its body, but before the lizard could realign itself to consume it head-first, the lizard gripped onto the snake’s body,” Bryan, 43, explained.
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Social media platforms had a role in propelling these photographs to international prominence. According to a Reddit post, the lizard eventually won the struggle and escaped. Kingsnakes frequently prey on alligator lizards in California’s backcountry, but witnessing anything like this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Wild! When it comes to food, California kingsnakes (Lampropeltis g. californiae) are fairly opportunistic. They will not only go for rattlesnakes and other snakes but also rats and smaller reptiles, among other creatures.
Bryan Snyder of Off The Map Adventures photographed a California kingsnake in the middle of eating an alligator lizard (Elgaria multicarinata) back in 2014, however, the alligator lizard evidently didn’t want to be eaten that day. The image is telling, displaying just the alligator lizard’s head remaining for the snake to consume, but there is one small hitch. The alligator lizard has closed its jaws around the snake’s body and appears to be refusing to let go.
The photograph has lately gone viral on Reddit, where users are debating whether the lizard was eaten or escaped from the stomach of the California kingsnake that was attempting to consume it. Snyder claims on his Off The Map Adventures Facebook page that the snake was regurgitating the lizard as he left for his trip. As a result, he believes the lizard lived another day.
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