Johannesburg: You should not bite off more than you can chew. This held true with a python which literally ate itself to death after trying to devour a prickly creature.
The 13-feet African rock python was found dead at the side of a road at Lake Eland Game Reserve, near Port Shepstone in South Africa.
When the python's belly was cut to ascertain the reason of its death, a dead porcupine was found.
Dozens of sharp spikes on porcupine punctured the snake's innards, which led to its death.
The Daily Mail has quoted Reserve general manager Jennifer Fuller as saying: “The exact reasons for the snake's death are not clear. It is apparent that several porcupine quills were lodged inside the digestive tract. It had fallen off the rocky ledge. We don't know if it died beforehand or whether the fall drove some of the quills into its digestive tract.”
(Pic courtesy: Caters News Agency)