The incident, which took place deep in the Amazon rainforest in Western Brazil, is rare, as monkeys are usually adept at protecting themselves from predators. But the video shows the huge snake crushing the hapless monkey before swallowing it whole.
The video has caused scientists to rethink how vulnerable primates can be to skilled predators like the boa constrictor, that usually stick to smaller meals like rodents and birds, LiveScience reported.
Scientists have captured the harrowing moment a
boa constrictor attacked a fully-grown howler monkey to claim it as a
substantial snack. Here the female howler monkeys clings to a branch in a
futile attempt to pull herself from the crushing jaws of the snake
Júlio César Bicca-Marques, a researcher at Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, said the female Purús red howler monkey did not see the snake lying in wait in the tree.
