Rare Encounter: Two Coral Snakes Engage in Unprecedented Prey Battle
In a first-of-its-kind observation, two red-tailed coral snakes were documented engaging in kleptoparasitism, or food theft, as they competed over a caecilian in the wild. The snakes, part of the Elapidae family, were observed in a tug-of-war over the amphibian in the dense rainforests of western Colombia. This behavior, typically seen more in captivity, sheds light on coral snake interactions with prey species and highlights the challenges of observing such elusive reptiles in their natural habitats.
