A viper with a fish stuck in its throat rescued in France (photo)

Herpetologist Nicolas Fuento witnessed an extraordinary event on Lake Carcès in southeastern France. He saw a viper with a fish sticking out of its mouth.

According to IFLScience, Nicolas Fuento captured this moment in a photo. It shows how the viper (Natrix maura) tried to eat a fish called a ruff (Gymnocephalus cernua), which was much larger than the predator's mouth.

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The herpetologist explained that vipers usually feed on small fish species. However, the ruff is an invasive fish species that spreads through channels created by humans or enters water bodies with fishermen's bait.

The snake tried to throw the fish out of its esophagus, but the spines on the fish's back stuck in its throat.

The herpetologist pulled out the fish, saving the snake. Although the fish died, the snake survived and went into the undergrowth.

The researchers at Herpetology Notes noted that even in cases where the snake survives such incidents, injuries from fish spikes can be fatal. There has been an increase in cases of fish-eating snakes attacking invasive fish species recently, which can lead to a threat to snake species and biodiversity in general.

Scientists believe that these cases are becoming more common and point to a real threat to invasive fish species and native snake species that feed on fish.

As a reminder, a cow that was not afraid of a king cobra and made friends with it spotted in India.

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