Image of California Kingsnake Trying to Eat an Alligator Lizard Goes Viral

California kingsnakes (Lampropeltis g. californiae) are fairly opportunistic when they are searching for food. Not only will they go after rattlesnakes and other snakes, they will chase down rodents and smaller reptiles, among other animals. Bryan Snyder, an outdoor travel author with Off The Map Adventures, photographed a California kingsnake in the process of eating an alligator lizard (Elgaria multicarinata), but the alligator lizard apparently didn’t want to be eaten that day back in 2014.

The image is telling, showing just the head of the alligator lizard left for the snake to eat, but with one simple complication. The alligator lizard has clamped down on the snake’s body and seemingly refuses to let go. 

The image has recently made the rounds on Reddit, where Redditors are in a debate as to whether the lizard was eaten or came out from the belly of the California kingsnake that was trying to eat it. 

Snyder says on his Facebook page, Off The Map Adventures,  that the snake was in the process of regurgitating the lizard when he left for his hike. So he thinks the lizard lived another day.