The extraordinary moment a three-metre-long python feasted on a large white cockatoo has been captured in Far North Queensland.
Cairns resident Gary Montagner captured a striking moment as a snake hung from the guttering of his Mooroobool home, stretching its jaws wide to slowly digest a bird. Sharing the footage, Montagner remarked, “Nature’s circle of life caught on camera!” He noted the distressed squawks of nearby cockatoos in the background, too intimidated to approach the reptile.
The most common python species in the Cairns region is the Amethystine python, a non-venomous variety known for reaching lengths between 5 and 8.5 meters and primarily preying on birds and small mammals.
In a dramatic event in North Queensland, a three-meter python is observed consuming a cockatoo whole, vividly illustrating the intense dynamics of nature’s predator-prey relationships.
Montagner shared a neighbor’s account of a python taking their cat, although Montagner’s small dogs seem to be less targeted by the snakes.
This particular python displays textbook killing technique, utilizing constriction by coiling around its prey until suffocation occurs.
Montagner expressed a respect for animals and a preference not to harm or remove the python, recognizing it as a natural part of the environment in the region.