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Quick Take

• Young rescuers successfully confront a massive python to prevent a fatal predation event.

• The 11 species of pythons present unique hunting behaviors that threaten domestic animals.

• Contrary to prey lists, dogs become primary targets for hungry pythons in residential areas.

• Constant visual monitoring remains the only defense against predators roaming near human settlements.

Coming face-to-face with a large snake is enough to make most people freeze. In this short video circulating online, however, two boys do the opposite — stepping in when they see a large python wrapped around a dog.

The clip, shared on YouTube by the Brave Paws channel, shows a reticulated python (Python reticulatus) constricting a dog while the boys attempt to separate the two animals using long sticks. Reticulated pythons are nonvenomous constrictor snakes and are among the largest snake species in the world, native to parts of South and Southeast Asia.

How Constrictor Snakes Hunt

Pythons kill prey through constriction, a process in which the snake coils its body around an animal and tightens its grip as the prey exhales. This prevents the lungs from refilling with air and can lead to suffocation or circulatory collapse. Constriction is an automatic physical response to movement, not a sign of aggression or intent.

When threatened or disturbed, nonvenomous pythons may strike defensively, even though they lack venom. This behavior is meant to deter perceived threats rather than capture prey.

What Happens in the Video

In the footage, the boys use sticks to keep their distance while attempting to control the snake’s head and body. At one point, one boy pins the python’s head to the ground, allowing them to pull the coils away from the dog. Once freed, the dog runs off.

Without veterinary evaluation, it is impossible to determine the dog’s condition following the encounter or whether the attack would have been fatal if uninterrupted.

Do Pythons Eat Pets?

Pythons are opportunistic predators whose diets vary by species, size, and habitat. Across their native ranges, they are known to eat animals such as rodents, birds, reptiles, monkeys, pigs, wallabies, and antelope.

While dogs and cats are not typical prey, there are documented cases of large pythons attacking small pets, particularly in regions where large python species live close to human settlements. Such incidents are uncommon and usually involve very large snakes and small animals.

Pythons rely more on scent and heat detection than eyesight when hunting, using specialized sensory organs to locate warm-blooded prey.

Staying Safe Around Large Snakes

Wildlife experts advise keeping pets supervised or indoors in areas where large predators are present. If a large snake is encountered, authorities recommend maintaining distance and contacting local wildlife professionals rather than attempting to intervene.

Encounters like the one shown in the video are rare, but they highlight how quickly wildlife interactions can become dangerous — both for animals and for people.

The 11 species of pythons are the following: Indian python, Central African rock python, ball python, Burmese python, Southern African rock python, Sumatran short-tailed python, Borneo python, Angolan python, Brongersma’s short-tailed python, Myanmar short-tailed python, and European python. As we can imagine they are all different sizes and can be found worldwide.

Their appetite varies depending on where they live. However, they can be found eating prey such as rodents, birds, lizards, monkeys, wallabies, pigs, and even antelope. And while pets like dogs and cats are not on this list, that does not mean they are exempt. A hungry python will eat just about anything it can grab.

Watch the Video

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The post Boys Intervene as Python Attacks Dog in Viral Video appeared first on A-Z Animals.