Wildlife Photographer Captures an Eel Escaping From The Stomach of a Heron Bird, Burrowing Through Its Neck

By Charmaine Shaharin  •  06 Nov 2020 in News

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Have you ever seen an eel protruding out of a bird’s neck? It’s definitely something an average person wouldn’t even imagine seeing in their lifetime.

However, wildlife photographer and engineer from Maryland, Sam Davis has managed to catch that eerie but also rare sight on camera. In his picture, we can see the eel making a desperate escape out of the Heron bird’s stomach through its neck as it was still in flight.

The 58-year-old’s photograph of this phenomenon also shows the bird totally unfazed (we think) by the eel coming out of its neck while it swiftly flies. The eel had obviously been eaten by the bird prior to this.

According to Lad Bible, an eel burrowing its way out of trouble is a common occurrence as it is a natural instinct for them when they are in danger. This eel, however, had definitely burrowed its way out to a whole new environment from the ocean beds its used to.

Speaking to Lad Bible, Davis said, “There were two young eagles that saw the herons predicament and were following him around, I assume they sensed a meal.”

Davis had initially thought that the heron was bitten on the neck by a snake or eel. It was only after he got home and edited the photos that he could see it was an eel that was coming through the bird’s neck.

It is unclear what happened to both the animals and if they survived the incident.