There aren’t many things in this world that’ll have you reduced to a puddle of a person than a confrontation with a snake out in the wild. However, the fact that snakes are typically solitary reptiles is somewhat reassuring as you’ll never really bump into a group of them who are looking to take your lunch money.
Discover our latest podcast
Well, looks like you can forget all of that and add a brand new fear to your ever-growing list: some species of snakes have been observed hunting in packs. That is to say, multiple hungry snakes, stalking their prey in a collective effort.
No need to stress out too much, however: the specific species of snake that partakes in this activity lives in Cuba. The Cuban boa, or Chilabothrus angulifer, is a non-venomous species of snake that passes most of its day dangling from cave ceilings looking to catch some food.
The study
According to Vladimir Dinetsin his study published in the journal Animal Behaviorand Cognition, this type of cooperative hunting is the first documented case involving snakes.
His results showed that the snakes who attempted to hunt fruit bats by themselves were significantly less successful than those who chose to stick together and hunt in groups. The same snakes repeatedly set up camp together night after night in a collective effort to hunt - and it worked.
So yes, there is a snake that will plot out its hunting strategy with its friends in an attempt to hunt you down and eat you. Granted, that’s only if you find yourself wandering the caves of eastern Cuba. We hope we didn’t ruin your holiday plans.
Want to see these snakes in action? Check the video above to see footage of it for yourself.
