Trending News: Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Susanta Nanda is an active Twitter user and enjoys sharing incredible wildlife videos with his followers. Recently, he posted a captivating video showing a deer eating a snake. Normally, deer are known to be herbivores, meaning they mainly consume plants. This video captured a rare moment when a passerby in a car witnessed the deer indulging in an unexpected meal.
In the video, we see a deer standing by the side of the road in a forest area, munching on a snake. The person recording the video can be heard asking in surprise, "Is he eating a snake?" According to National Geographic, deer may occasionally seek out flesh because they lack certain minerals like phosphorous, salt, and calcium, especially during winter when plant life is scarce. Accompanying the viral video, the caption states, "Cameras are helping us gain a better understanding of nature. Yes, herbivorous animals do eat snakes sometimes."
The clip was also shared on a page called Science Girl, which provided an explanation for this unusual behaviour. The caption read, "Deer are herbivores and are considered ruminants due to their rumen, a specialized stomach compartment that helps them digest tough plant matter like cellulose. However, if food is scarce or they lack essential minerals such as calcium and phosphorus, they may resort to eating meat. Watch this deer devour a snake."
Watch the viral video here:
Since its upload, the video has gained over 330k views, 2400 likes, and has sparked varied reactions from stunned users. One user expressed their surprise, commenting, "Really, very strange, isn't it?" Another user wrote, "Nature is filled with incredible and sometimes unexpected interactions, and this video showcases one such instance. It serves as a reminder of the vast diversity of animal behaviour and the unique ways in which different species adapt to survive." The third user remarked, "Certainly. This also suggests that there is no such thing as a 'rule of nature,' but rather, there are patterns. There is no 'balance of nature,' only evolution."
The fourth user added, "Herbivores can eat meat, whereas carnivores cannot eat grass. It all depends on their gut chemistry. Eating snakes is more about survival than following a specific diet. It makes sense for deer to consume snakes that hide in the grass to eliminate the threat. While meat is acceptable if easily available, hunting is not what their bodies are naturally designed for."
