It’s said snakes have nightmares about the snake eagle. This predatory bird has the capacity to decapitate and swallow an entire snake in flight. Though smaller than eagles they are a huge image when soaring. They spot food — a sumptuous snake — and dive, catching the reptile in its talons. It returns to the air, the snake writhing. While midair, the eagle strikes!

The legsof the snake eagle get serious protection via a layer of scales. The thick layer puts the kibosh on poisons. That’s a great advantage for a bird that regularly and easily takes on black mambas and cobras in the rainforest and more of the world’s deadliest and swiftest snakes. The snake eagle also gets its kicks hunting rodents, lizards, fish , and bats .

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