Expect The Unexpected! Outback Cow Eats Snake | The Grey Nomads

Veteran grey nomads have learned to expect the unexpected as they travel Australia’s highways and byways but, just when you think you’ve seen it all … you find out you haven’t!

Certainly, Andrew Gertz, was stunned to come across a cow apparently trying to swallow a snake on the Sandover Highway, about 300 kilometres from Lake Nash Station in the Northern Territory.

“When I got closer I could see it was a sand python hanging out of its mouth,” Mr Gertz told the ABC. “It’s kind of sucked its head off back to the bone.”

He said he couldn’t figure out how the non-venomous snake’s head came to be in the cow’s

You never know what you are going to come across on the open road. PIC: Andrew Gertz / ABC

mouth, and speculated that the cow might have stepped on or disturbed the snake that then ‘latched onto its tongue’.

The cow was apparently unfazed by its unusual meal and his interest, dropped the dead snake and wandered off.

Natural historian Angus Emmott told the ABC that cattle were known to scavenge on dead kangaroos and cattle to supplement their diets, especially in the red dust of outback Queensland, but he had no doubt python sucking was unusual.

“I have never seen one chew a snake,” Mr Emmott said.

He said the cow might have been ‘chewing it for both protein and trace elements.

“Their body tells them what they need and they’ll go and chase it down if it’s available,” he said.

• What is the most unusual sight you have come across while on your travels? Comment below.

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9 Comments Oldest Newest Inline Feedbacks View all comments Ray 5 years ago

Well there you go, all you silly Vegans out there. Even a grass eating vegetarian cow is smart enough to have a good mixed diet.

Reply Les 5 years ago

Nah. This is Australia. You’ve got it the wrong way around. The snake is eating the cow.

Reply Ray 5 years ago Reply to Les

Good one Les, I had not considered that 🙂

Reply River 5 years ago

The biggest cause of deforestation is animal agriculture, biggest cause of ocean dead zones animal agriculture. Dont hate on people for trying to do better for the earth. This planet is our home, not your home. Why do we have the right to take the life of something based upon intelligence. We should respect and love one another, not judge and hate each other for our trying to be better. I hope you find peace Ray and i hope all these innocent animals whom are killed as adolescence do too. The old mind paradigms are collapsing and the youthful paradigms are rising and loving every animal including humans is on the horizon just check out the rise in vegan products. The future is love.

Reply Ray 5 years ago Reply to River

Yep, the future is love. And for me it’s also lots of meat products!

Reply Karen 5 years ago Reply to Ray

Ray, you sound like my husband – meat and potatoes man he is!

David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet

It’s his personal witness statement of his 93 years travelling the planet.

Has made my husband think….

I saw a cow licking a dead cow NT/QLD border that surprised me. The snake pic is amazing!

Reply Leigh 5 years ago

I didn’t evolve for 2 million years to get to the top of the food chain just to eat grass. Our evolution was based on protein which came from meat. Even the wild animals know that

Reply Ray 5 years ago Reply to Leigh

100 % correct Leigh. Big juicy steak on the BBQ today. And to Karen’s husband, stand your ground my friend, and remain a good meat eater !

Reply Rons47 5 years ago

I am a bit worried about this are the vegan cows starting to eat meat might gang up on me as I am out in the paddock and make a meal of me

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