Porcupine Punctures Python: A Deadly Dinner in South Africa

A 12-foot African rock python at Lake Eland Game Reserve in South Africa died about a week after swallowing a 30-pound porcupine, whose sharp quills punctured the snake’s digestive tract. The 2015 incident shows porcupines can be a dangerous prey for snakes, which can swallow large meals but may be fatally injured by quills; prior studies have documented similar injuries, and newer research discusses how snakes digest bones under certain conditions.