We\u2019ve all been there \u2013 playing a game of \u201cChubby Bunny\u201d only to find that actually, you can\u2019t quite fit as many marshmallows in your mouth as you thought. A common European adder found itself in a similar situation on a Danish island, where it was filmed trying \u2013 and failing \u2013 to eat a young hare far bigger than itself. Sad times for the snake \u2013 but great news for science.<\/p>\n
The female adder was spotted making its overly ambitious attempt by Klaus Birch, co-author of a new study detailing the interaction, back in August 2022, near a beach on the island of L\u00e6s\u00f8.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In footage captured by Birch, the snake \u2013 which was estimated to be about 60 centimeters [24 inches] long and weigh 110 grams (4 ounces) \u2013 can be seen slowly examining the hare\u2019s (30 centimeters long, 1,000 grams [12 inches, 35 ounces]) head and limbs with its snout, taking the occasional chomp. According to the study\u2019s authors, this is thought to be how adders assess the size of their prey, and whether or not it can be swallowed.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Why was the adder going for prey so much bigger than itself? Turns out, it was likely in need of a hefty meal. \u201cThe female adder appeared to be in a low nutritional status, probably after having recently given birth,\u201d the authors explain. A bit like how humans crave a massive Chinese takeaway or McDonald\u2019s after popping out a sprog, then.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Birch eventually chased the adder away in an effort to save the young hare, but it was too late. Whether or not it would\u2019ve swallowed its prey had Birch not intervened \u201cremains an open question\u201d, the authors write, though they add that they \u201cfind it likely that the individual on L\u00e6s\u00f8 would have abandoned its excessively large prey after careful examination.\u201d<\/p>\n
You may be wondering what\u2019s got scientists so hyped about a snake trying to eat such large prey. After all, it\u2019s not exactly unheard of \u2013 in just one example of wild snake footage on the internet, an African rock python was witnessed swallowing an entire impala<\/a>.<\/p>\n But according to the study authors, attempts by snakes to kill and then eat significantly oversized prey are actually poorly documented in scientific literature. From what we do know, it seems that abandoning such prey \u201cmay well be an underreported phenomenon\u201d as a result.<\/p>\n The authors point to multiple cases \u2013 both published and unpublished \u2013 where other snake species, including brown tree snakes, various rattlesnake<\/a> species, and sidewinders, had all abandoned substantially larger prey. Similarities with the case of the overly ambitious adder and the unfortunate hare help to back up the theory that the killing and then abandonment of oversized prey by snakes might be more common than we thought.<\/p>\n