Rattlesnake Caught Eating Iguana Near Picacho Peak: Video

PICACHO PEAK, AZ — Incredible video taken from a retired Game and Fish biologist shows a rattlesnake eating a desert iguana inside the state park.

While it's not immediately clear when this was taken, the timing appears to be at night. The snake had already cleared the desert iguana's head past its jaws by the time Babb started filming and is seen slowly getting the reptile's legs through the mouth.

Rattlesnakes typically eat mice, rats, rabbits, gophers, ground dwelling birds and other small lizards, according to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, but clearly can accommodate larger prey.

Sometimes, nature reverses roles and the rattlers become the prey. In April 2018, a coyote was caught nipping a rattler near Baseline and Recker roads. Later in July, a faithful Golden Retriver saved his human while hiking the aptly named Sidewinder Trail off Carefree Highway.

That same year in October, a man who fell down an abandoned mine shaft outside Aguila, Ariz. claims to have killed and eaten three rattlersnakes to survive.

Warmer temperatures mean the cold-blooded species are out from hiding this time of year. The Phoenix Herpetological Sanctuary are warning hikers, campers and other outdoor enthusiasts to be on the lookout. Homeowners who live in more remote areas should also check flooring and fencing spaces just to be sure.