(Photo Credit: Ecologica Montenegrina)

Scientists conducting research in Macedonia came across the gruesome aftermath of a battle between a viper and a centipede in which they believe the two foes literally ate each other to death.

The discovery of a dead young female nose-horned viper with the head of a centipede protruding from her stomach was made last May on Golem Grad, an island in Lake Prespa, according to the journal Ecologica Montenegrina.

After dissecting the grisly discovery, researchers wrote that the centipede, itself known as a "ferocious predator," weighed more than the snake, which had "gravely underestimated the size and strength" of its prey.

The viper had a notable absence of "visceral organs," which led the team to conclude that the centipede had chewed through its way through the snake's insides, "almost reaching its freedom."