Locals alleged the forest department was informed but failed to arrive in time to save the animal.
A massive python swallowed a fox near Balediha village in Jharkhand's Giridih district. The incident occurred on Wednesday in a forest under the jurisdiction of the Sariya police station.
Villagers who went to the area for cattle grazing and agricultural work spotted the python mid-hunt. As the giant snake began devouring the fox, alarmed locals raised an uproar, drawing more people to the scene.
Footage obtained by NDTV captured the python halfway through swallowing its prey. Several bystanders recorded the unsettling moment on their phones.
Forest department officials collecting information about the incident said they were alerted through social media and are
According to National Geographic, pythons can swallow animals much larger than their head due to unique anatomical adaptations. Their jaws are connected by flexible ligaments, allowing them to stretch widely, while skull bones move independently to "walk" prey into their throat.
Their skin and ribs expand with ease, and a special breathing tube allows airflow even as the mouth is full. Once ingested, powerful digestive acids break down the prey over several days. These traits enable pythons to consume large animals such as deer, calves, and even hyenas.
Last year, a 16-foot python swallowed a calf in the Yamuna forest near Parana village in Uttar Pradesh's Agra. Shepherds discovered the snake with more than half of the calf's body already inside its throat.
Alarmed villagers quickly gathered and tried to rescue the calf using sticks to push it out of the python's body. Unfortunately, the animal had already suffocated by the time they managed to pull it free.
Locals alleged the forest department was informed but failed to arrive in time to save the animal.
