Crazy photo shows snake eating fish at Landa Park in New Braunfels

NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas – A hobbyist photographer recently snapped a pretty awesome picture of nature at work — a big snake eating an equally large fish.

Ed Means caught the serpent snacking on his lunch on April 19 while he was standing on a pier in Landa Park hoping to get a photo of a Green Heron he’d been watching.

“I heard a ruckus in the water and the Green Heron took off. And then I noticed something moving on the green mat of algae and river greenery in the middle of the river,” Means told KSAT. “It was too far away for me to see what I was looking at until I looked at it through my 500 mm camera lens.”

That’s when he spotted the Diamondback water snake and his fishy meal.

“It was an amazing sight – something I had never seen before,” Means said. “It was quite dramatic watching this snake slowly swallow this fish. It would seem that the fish would be too big for this snake but snakes are able to dislocate/unhinge their jaws to allow for bigger prey.”

According to the online animal encyclopedia Animalia, Diamondback water snakes are carnivores and feed on a variety of aquatic species, including fish.

Diamondback water snakes are typically found basking on branches over water, Animalia’s website states.

“They only typically resort to biting if physically harassed or handled. The bite of these snakes is known to be quite painful due to their sharp teeth meant to keep hold of slippery fish,” according to Animalia.

Means told KSAT he photographs birds and other critters and posts them to his Facebook page.

“It’s strictly a retirement hobby and to keep my Facebook page interesting.”