Now here’s something you don’t see every day in Metro Vancouver.
A video of a snake devouring a fish in West Vancouver’s Whytecliff Park appeared on Reddit this week, fascinating many viewers (and likely creeping out a few others). The footage was uploaded to Reddit by user HobbitRanger, a videographer and photographer who says he is always on the hunt for interesting animals to film. This footage was captured on an iPhone 13 Pro Max using a small tripod, according to HobbitRanger’s description of the setup.
The North Shore News contacted protection officers from the Langley detachment of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to find out exactly what we were looking at in the footage.
The snake in question is a black morph garter snake, according to the DFO.
“Garter snakes that live along the ocean have more of a black colouration and not the browns of regular garter snakes,” the DFO said. “They also lack the yellow striping.”
There are many kinds of garter snakes living on B.C.’s South Coast and Vancouver Island, although you won’t likely see them unless it is particularly warm out, according to the DFO.
“They usually live in and are close to rock piles where they like to sun themselves,” the DFO said, adding that a recent sunny spell in the area where the video was shot pushed the temperature close to 30 C. “So no surprise the snakes were out and about.”
As for the unfortunate fish, it’s tough to determine exactly what type it is, but the DFO said that judging by the size of the head and the large pectoral fins, it “looks like some kind of sculpin – maybe a longhorn.”
Whatever type of fish it was, it’s now dinner for a hungry snake. Check out the video below:
