CAUGHT ON CAMERA, these savage pictures show an eagle getting ready to tuck into its poisonous dinner.
With a snake dangling from its mouth, the short-toed snake eagle proceeded to tear apart the 4ft venomous cobra, attacking its prey headfirst.
The images of the predator eating the serpent were taken by Gowathaman Ganesan, 48, in Theneri Lake, India.
The entrepreneur recalled the moment he took the photos, saying: “It was a cloudy morning in the outskirts of Kanchipuram, India, when a female, short-toed Snake Eagle soared along the lake, in search of prey.
“After a prolonged search, the eagle started hovering above 300m for few seconds before locking-on to the prey.
“We approached the bird then the eagle started diving towards the prey; by the time we got to there, the eagle caught the head of the 4ft long Indian cobra.
“After cleaving the snake’s head, the eagle ripped the meal into a two-piece and started feasting on the bottom part – it was crazy to see.”
Short-toed snake eagles are birds of prey which often eat reptiles, including snakes and lizards – and they swallow their prey headfirst.
So it is unsurprising that this is what this mighty bird chose to devour.
However, sometimes short-toed snake eagles can become entangled with larger snakes, if they try to bite off more than they can chew.
The eagles are not immune to venomous cobras – however, they are skilled enough to swallow them without being bitten, and then the poison is then digested in their gut.
