Baby iguana’s deadly snake escape captures the Internet by storm

On Monday night, the BBC made dreams come true for naturalists, when it aired its first episode of Planet Earth II, the sequel to its widely popular 2006 nature documentary series. The episode focused on the planet’s islands, featuring a penguin colony and swimming sloths, but the unexpected star of the show was a baby iguana and his death defying escape from a bunch of sea snakes.

The video shared on social media follows a baby iguana recently hatched near a veritable minefield of sea snakes. As the iguana makes its way past the deadly colony, it’s noticed by some of the snakes which come out to investigate. Since snakes have poor vision, the iguana stands stock still to avoid them detecting the vibration of his movements. But when one snake slithers right up to the terrified reptile, he bolts for safety. What follows is a harrowing chase, with the iguana narrowly escaping one snake’s clutches, only to be captured in the coiling grip of another. Somehow, it manages to escape again and the chase continues. The segment ended with the baby iguana leaping across nearby rocks to safety, with viewers cheering him on.

The video has exploded across social media, racking up likes and shares across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and even Reddit. Viewers who watched the episode are ecstatic that the iguana escaped, comparing the segment to an action blockbuster film. Users are also making the iguana a meme, setting the viral video to the tune of NFL Primetime, the Benny Hill Show, and even Pokemon.