As I was walking along the boardwalk at my local marshland park, I heard some splashing in the shallow, muddy water and was surprised to see a Northern Water Snake (Nerodia sipedon) emerging from the water with a fish in its mouth. I did not see the snake actually catch the fish, but by the time I caught sight of it, the snake already had a firm grip on the head of the fish. I suspect that the snake had moved onto dry land to make certain that the fish had no chance of escaping.
Fascinated and a little horrified, I watched as the snake opened its mouth wider, worked the obviously strong muscles of its throat, and gradually swallowed the small fish. In the series of photos below, you can see how the snake’s head and throat grew larger as more and more of the fish was drawn in.
After the snake finished its meal, it returned to the water and joined two other snakes searching for prey. At times it looked like they might be working together to push the fish into the shallow water. That may have been my imagination, though, as I noted that the successful snake made no attempt to share his catch with the others.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Mike Powell 
Nice catch 🙂
…for both me and the snake
Talk about being in the right place at the right time! I’ve never thought about snakes eating fish. Interesting!
I am still not quite sure how a snake catches a fish, but the photos show that it can be done. Last year I saw a snake swallow a frog. That was a little rough, because the frog was alive during the process and was crying out.
terrific captures
Thanks. There was a lot of luck in happening to be at that spot at that moment.
I get that and it worked :-
And I am happy that I got the shots. Some people will be a bit put off by the graphic nature of the photos, but it is part of the predator/prey cycle of nature.
Definitely. But as a photographer, I just thought what great captures they were. And of course, you must shoot what you want to shoot. The real followers will continue to follow. Take care….
was this at huntley meadows mike?
Yes, it was (in the area past the observation tower, opposite all of the construction activity).
Wow! Fortuitous timing. I don’t mind the graphic nature of the shot, it’s NATURE!
Nothing boring about life (and death) in the marsh. It’s amazing what remarkable action you stumbled upon.
I am always amazed at the things that that I manage to see when I visit the marsh. There always seems to be something new and different to experience.
Wow that’s awesome!
Yummmmm 🙂
I prefer mine cooked!
Sharing is not really an option. Snakes are not known for their skills at weilding cutlery. 😉