Great Blue Heron and Snake

Look at what this Great Blue Heron had to go through to get a meal.

I was at St. Mark's National Wildlife Refuge in Florida when I saw this Great Blue Heron catch a snake. It grabbed the snake by the head and proceeded to shake it around.
983 great blue heron catches snake
It spent quite a bit of time trying to subdue the snake.
984 heron tries subdue snake
At this point I wasn't sure but it looked to me like the snake was winning!
985 looks like snake winning
In the end, the Heron did win this battle. You can see the lump that the snake made in the Heron's neck as it swallowed the snake. Also, note the tip of the snake's tail hanging out of the Heron's mouth.
986 heron swallowing snake

Add a comment in the space below.