It can be assumed that the snake tried to devour the porcupine and as soon as it decided to abandon its unusual meal, it realized the magnitude of its mistake.
Reptile ecologist Aviad Bar with the Israel Parks and Nature Authority was summoned to a dog park in Shoham town, and upon arriving, he found a black whip snake (Dolichophis jugularis) had attempted to eat what looks like a common porcupine, and when the snake tried to regurgitate the quilled animal, both animals died.
“From an analysis of the situation, it can be assumed that the snake tried to devour the porcupine and as soon as it decided to abandon its unusual meal, it realized the magnitude of its mistake,” Aviad Bar told the Jerusalem Post. “The one-way direction of the porcupine’s quills did not allow the snake to spit out the porcupine and in the end both the porcupine and the snake met their deaths in the tragic encounter.” Bar wrote on Facebook that the snake died a few minutes after he found it.
The porcupine was just too much for the colubrid to swallow, even though the black whip snake is the longest snake in the country. In addition to Israel, the black whip snake can be found in Cyprus, Greece Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, lebanon, Syria, Turkey and Malta. There are three subspecies, Dolichophis jugularis asianus, Dolichophis jugularis cypriacus, and Dolichophis jugularus jugularis. The are known to eat other snakes, as well as lizards and small mammals and birds. It can grow up to 9 feet in length and is the longest native European snake.
