Shocking moment a seagull swallows a small rabbit whole after shaking it to death on a remote Welsh island
- Irene Mendez Cruz, 28, captured the moment a seagull swallowed a rabbit
- The marine and natural history photographer was on holiday in Skokholm, Wales
- Ms Cruz, from Bristol, was told about the behaviour by the wardens of the island
A seagull brutally kills a small rabbit by grabbing its head with its beak before swallowing the mammal whole.
Irene Mendez Cruz, 28, captured the shocking moment while on holiday on the remote Welsh island of Skokholm.
The marine and natural history photographer was told about the seagulls' predatory behaviour by the wardens of the island.
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The seagull puts its head up and spasms its throat to make room for the rabbit on the remote island of Skokholm in Wales
Irene Mendez Cruz, 28, captured the shocking moment while on holiday on the remote Welsh island of Skokholm
Ms Cruz begins the video with a clip of an adorable rabbit gently nibbling at the grass around him
And setting out to capture the gull's hunt for its prey Ms Cruz, from Bristol, was able to film the exact moment the large bird pulled a rabbit in to its gullet.
Ms Cruz begins the video with a clip of an adorable rabbit gently nibbling at the grass around him.
Suddenly the camera pans to a seagull.
The scene is set, and in the next clip the camera shows a seagull suddenly grab the rabbit and shakes it with its beak.
The camera pans to a seagull as Miss Cruz sets the scene for the predator capturing his prey
The camera shows a seagull suddenly grab the rabbit and shakes it with its beak
The seagull grips the rabbit's face with its beak and shakes the helpless animal to make sure it is dead
Dropping it the seagull grips the rabbit's face with its beak and shakes the helpless animal to make sure it is dead.
The rabbit is then dropped again before being picked up a third time, shook, and then actually pulled in to the seagull's throat.
The bird puts its head up and spasms its throat to make room for the rabbit.
As the clip ends only the rabbits feet can be seen before even they disappear and the seagull has swallowed its prey whole
The rabbit will be stored in the bird's crop, where it can be digested slowly to give the seagull energy for longer
And as the clip ends only the rabbits feet can be seen before even they disappear and the seagull has swallowed its prey whole.
The rabbit will be stored in the bird's crop, where it can be digested slowly to give the seagull energy for longer.
As well as rabbits, great black-backed gulls also hunt and kill smaller seagulls and puffins.
