This is the astonishing moment two hungry snakes were locked in a tug-of-war over a live fish. <br /> <br />The first checkered keelback plucked the catfish from a stream in the Kanha National Park in Madhya Pradesh, India on July 19.<br /> <br />It grabbed the victim in its jaws and was lifting it out of the water to eat for lunch when a second keelback reared up and chomped on the tail.<br /> <br />Perfectly-timed photographs and video taken by nature enthusiast Ghanshyam Prasad Bhanware show the reptiles tussling over their lunch.<br /> <br />Not only were the two snakes fighting, but the fish was also trying to escape from the predicament - a feat that it managed eventually after 30 minutes.<br /> <br />Ghanshyam said: "That fish was strong-willed. My passion and hobby is to capture rare moments and seeing this was unbeatable. This was my first time to see a fish that dared to fight a snake."<br /> <br />The photographer said the three creatures were stuck in the bizarre position for around 30 minutes.<br /> <br />The snake holding the fish's tail became tired first and dropped back into the river. The other snake then had to let go a few minutes later and slither away when the fish started wriggling around.<br /> <br />Ghanshyam added: ''The fish made it back into the water and both the snakes went without food. The fish swam away so I am certain it was still alive.''<br /> <br />The keelback snake is a common nonvenomous water snake found throughout Asia while catfish are known for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers.<br /><br />(Contains still photographs at the end of sequence)
