That’s exactly what happened in Alabama, and luckily, the entire thing was captured on video. This is only a short clip, and when it begins, it’s difficult to tell just what we’re looking at, as barely noticeable amongst the leaf litter are two perfectly camouflaged snakes – a copperhead and a kingsnake. When it comes to copperhead vs kingsnake, you’d probably expect it to be a fair, simple fight. After all, one is venomous, and one is a constrictor. Yet, it immediately becomes clear that the venomous copperhead is at a disadvantage as the kingsnake attempts to wind itself around it. The copperhead strikes violently, its body jerking up into the air as the kingsnake slowly attempts to coil itself further up its body. The copperhead writhes again, attempting to free itself, but in a flash, the kingsnake manages another coil…now it really is a battle for survival. Again, the kingsnake attempts to move closer, cautiously avoiding the deadly fangs of the copperhead as it strikes furiously again. The copperhead tries to move away, fighting for its life but is pinned by the heavy weight of the powerful kingsnake around its body. Slowly, the kingsnake slithers up towards the head of the copperhead. Now, we get the sense that this battle is about to reach its climax. With its mouth gaping open, the kingsnake grabs the copperhead by the back of its neck as the copperhead tries valiantly to retaliate. But it’s too late! In one expert movement, the kingsnake flips them both. After a moment or two of rolling and thrashing, the kingsnake begins to coil itself tightly around the copperhead, squeezing and suffocating it. There is a gasp from the onlookers. “Oh my gosh,” they say, as the kingsnake coils itself three times, then four, around the copperhead. After a final thrash of the tail, the copperhead goes limp, and the video ends, leaving us with the feeling that we’ve just witnessed one of the most extraordinary feats of nature.
