Flaviemys purvisi
Very Well-Known Member
8 December 2018
One of Australia’s deadliest snakes was caught on camera meeting its match when it was swooped upon by a bird of prey.
Farmer Chris Morey, 57, was relieved to capture the brown falcon taking off with an 80cm-long eastern brown snake on his Maitland acreage in New South Wales last week.
The perfectly-timed snap shows the raptor snatching the head of the venomous reptile in its large claws as it glides alongside a barbwire fence.
“At the time I couldn’t even tell what it was,” Mr Morey said
The brown falcon taking off with an 80cm-long eastern brown snake in Maitland. Source: Chris Morey/Caters News
“It was coming around the back of the sheds at about 100mph then it took off into the mountains. I was just in the right place at the right time.
“When I checked the camera, I was pretty relieved. We have a lot of brown snakes here and this means there’s one less to worry about.”
Eastern browns are notorious for their speed and aggression, inflicting potentially lethal bites that cause convulsions and paralysis.
Brown falcons are known as powerful predators, killing snakes, mammals and smaller birds by grasping their prey with their claws and breaking their spines.
Farmer Chris Morey, 57, was relieved to capture the brown falcon taking off with the snake. Source: Chris Morey/Caters News
Dr Victor Hurley, of the Australasian Raptor Association, said falcons were the greatest snake-catching birds of prey.
“Brown falcons are snake hunting specialists,” he said.
“Their scaly legs protect them from snake bites, so they’re sometimes referred to as ‘farmer’s friends’.
“You’re unlikely to know when they have a snake or not, so kudos to this farmer as this is a difficult shot to get.”
