Photos show massive brown snake eating another brown snake at Wingfield, in Adelaide’s northwest

Snake catchers got a monster surprise after arriving at a job in suburban Adelaide to find a huge brown snake eating another of the same species.

Snake catchers got a shock on Tuesday when they arrived at a house in the city’s northwest to find a large brown snake engulfing another brown snake.

Posted on the Snake Catchers Adelaide Facebook page, two photos show what a snake catcher arrived to find inside a house at Wingfield.

“An interesting job from Wingfield today. A decent size brown chowing down on a smaller individual,” the post read.

“It’s always interesting to see cannibalism amongst brown snakes and it’s not often we catch them in the act.

“This big fella didn’t really care about being caught though and just wanted to be left with his meal.”

Snake Catchers Adelaide posted a brown snake eating a smaller brown snake. Picture: Snake Catchers Adelaide

Snake Catchers Adelaide posted a brown snake eating a smaller brown snake. Picture: Snake Catchers Adelaide

However, Ange Broadstock, of Snake Catchers Adelaide, told The Advertiser while it was rare to catch a snake in the act of eating other snake, it was common practice for the species and a normal part of their diet.

“They are cannibals and will eat each other,” she said.

“That’s part of their behaviour, that’s what they do – when they hatch, when they are first born they will eat small skinks and little frogs and they move on to bigger lizards, mice, rats and blue-tongue lizards and other snakes – they are their perfect dinner really,” she said.

Ms Broadstock said Adelaide was entering the peak snake activity months resulting in an increase in sightings.

“Once the weather warms up they all come out, they are active at the same time – they are coming out of brumation and they are hungry and horny basically – they are all looking for a mate and looking for food,” she said.

“Once they do both of those deeds they sort of calm down, so by Christmas time it is usually a lot quieter.”

Ms Broadstock offered the age-old advice for a person who finds themself encountering a snake.

“Leave them alone and they’ll leave you alone,” she said.

“They are a timid snake, they just prefer to be away from you.”