Boa constrictors strangle their prey to death before feasting, hence the word “constrictor” in its name, so it’s not exactly a rare event to see one strangling its prey to eat.
On the other hand, when you see a single boa constrictor squeezing the life out of two animals at the same time, it’s not only a rare event, but you’d also be the first who has ever witnessed and reported such an event.
That’s why when Danilo Simonini of the University of Brazília in Brazil spotted an event like this happening in Central Brazil, it made headlines. Simonini and its team were studying local monkeys in the forest when they suddenly saw a snake latching onto a couple of young marmosets and constricting them.
“This is the first time anyone has recorded a constrictor snake attacking two primates at the same time,” says Danilo Simonini Teixeira of the University of Brasília, Brazil. “We’ve never seen a boa predate on two marmosets simultaneously before.”
The snake, which was attacking the young marmosets, reportedly fell out of a tree; the researchers heard the ‘thump’ that came from the drop. One of the marmosets was mid-constriction, while the other was thought to have been “accidentally” caught up in the mess because it was stuck by the leg when spotted.
Adult marmosets were reportedly spotted trying to save the younger marmosets from their demise via the boa constrictor, but with the snake being so strong, they didn’t have a whole lot of luck. The adult marmosets gave up on trying when the snake seemed completely indifferent towards their attempt to free the younger marmosets.
Within about five minutes, the snake won the battle with the younger marmosets; neither of the two marmosets made it through the struggle with the boa constrictor.
Source: Danino Simonini