Did python bite itself to death? Mysterious find explained by Australia snake expert

A python was seen repeatedly attacking itself beside a road in eastern Australia, suggesting it had gone insane, snake experts say.

The odd discovery was made Sunday, June 30, in Burpengary by snake catcher Brandon Troy Gifford of Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers 24/7. Burpengary is about a 25-mile drive north from Brisbane.

A caller reported the snake had been “biting itself” and the passersby couldn’t tell whether it had killed itself in the process.

Gifford arrived to find the snake’s jaws clamped onto its back, and confirmed it died in mid bite. However, the dozens of needle-like teeth are not what killed it, he said in a video posted July 1 on Facebook.

“There’s a big break in the spine. ... It’s been hit by a car,” Gifford says, pointing to a huge lump in the snake’s back.

“So, what snakes will do when they’re distressed is they will bite onto themselves and chew. And that’s a real telltale sign to us that they are in a heck of a lot of pain. ... Fortunately for him, he has passed away with those injuries ‘cause he wouldn’t have survived.”

The snake was identified as a coastal carpet python, a non-venomous species native to the region. They are “heavy bodied” rodent eaters and the largest on record was just over 13 feet, experts say.

“Although this species has no fangs or venom, it does have a set of around 100 small, sharp teeth which have the ability to cause substantial needle-like lacerations,” Snake Rescue Sunny Coast reports.

Carpet pythons are easily hit by vehicles while crossing roads in Australia, but will typically slither out of site before dying, Gifford said.

In this case, the snake didn’t have enough energy to make it completely off the road before dying.

This story was originally published July 5, 2024 at 11:55 AM with the headline "Did python bite itself to death? Mysterious find explained by Australia snake expert."