Sydenham man sees a house snake eat a rat
Have you ever seen a snake eat its prey in real life?
Watching animals eat might not be everyone’s idea of entertainment, yet countless people visit zoos specifically to witness feeding time.
There's something fascinating about seeing animals in their natural eating habits – it offers a unique connection to wildlife. However, the experience varies depending on the species.
If snakes aren’t your thing, watching one constrict its prey might be more unsettling than intriguing.
For those curious about nature’s workings and the food chain, these moments provide valuable insight. But they’re also a stark, unfiltered reminder of the fundamental rule of survival: eat or be eaten.
Read more: KZN snake catcher gets sprayed with venom
A Sydenham man had a startling encounter while patrolling his neighbourhood in late January 2025 – witnessing a scene straight out of National Geographic.
In a TikTok video he shared, a brown snake is seen consuming a rat. It’s a rare and fascinating glimpse of nature in action, but also undeniably chilling.
After all, snakes often evoke thoughts of danger, death, and all things unsettling.
Watch the video below (courtesy of TikTok) – but be warned, it’s not for the faint-hearted!
@ccw_domenic.king #snakes #sydenham #ccw #pov ♬ original sound - Domenic King
The video was lengthy, and the snake didn’t look like it would swallow the rat in one smooth gulp. But what was even more shocking was hearing that a taxi had allegedly run over both the snake and its prey.
In a world where snakes are often villainised, it’s unlikely that anyone would have stopped to move it to the side of the road – let alone considered whether that’s the right thing to do while a snake is mid-meal.
But what if it had been a puppy eating a bone?
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Image courtesy of TikTok