Amazing Cape Cobra Duell

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Amazing Cape Cobra Duell

Postby Fooble » Tue Jan 11, 2011 9:56 am

I came across this great sequence on http://www.sanparks.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=90&t=49970
Direct quote from the post.

Please note these are not my photographs.


Wild Dog Fan wrote:
Close to the southern dune road I saw somethin slender right on the middle of the road: Two fighting Cape Cobras. Image

Obviously one of the snakes was already injured. But no attempt to escape was successful;
ImageThe other cobra took a strong bite on the head of her victim and tossed her on the side embankment of the road. The movements of the battered snake became more and more weaker.

Image


Finally she was dragged into a bush. Image

The most impressive thing was the absence of noise in this duel apart from the movement of two slender bodies in the sand....

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Re: Amazing Cape Cobra Duell

Postby Ryuu » Tue Jan 11, 2011 10:45 am

Did the victor eat the loser?

Awesome action Pictures you got there.

I was not aware that they would fight each other.
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Re: Amazing Cape Cobra Duell

Postby Fooble » Tue Jan 11, 2011 10:51 am

Im not sure that's where the pictures stopped unfortunately.
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Re: Amazing Cape Cobra Duell

Postby Pythonodipsas » Tue Jan 11, 2011 11:42 am

Wow that is quite something to see. It seems a bit harsh for male combat. I realize they eat other snakes and 'can be' cannibalistic, but an adult cobra preying on a similar sized adult is interesting.
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Re: Amazing Cape Cobra Duell

Postby Fooble » Tue Jan 11, 2011 11:46 am

I thought so too Craig, the one which seems to be on the loosing end does appear considerable smaller though.
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Re: Amazing Cape Cobra Duell

Postby Pythonodipsas » Tue Jan 11, 2011 12:04 pm

Yeah it does seem a bit smaller. Maybe food resources are thin in the Kalahari, so they have to be opportunistic and prey on their kin.
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Re: Amazing Cape Cobra Duell

Postby Silvrav » Tue Jan 11, 2011 12:11 pm

This is very interesting... but Pythonodipsas, I think I ave to agree that maybe food sources are scarce.

Makes you think what the human would do once food becomes an issue...
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Re: Amazing Cape Cobra Duell

Postby Westley Price » Tue Jan 11, 2011 1:48 pm

Very cool sighting! And great pictures to boot.

I've seen pictures of s Cape Cobra eating a Puff Adder. Now that is a challenge.
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Re: Amazing Cape Cobra Duell

Postby Marcel2992 » Tue Jan 11, 2011 4:59 pm

westley wrote:Very cool sighting! And great pictures to boot.

I've seen pictures of s Cape Cobra eating a Puff Adder. Now that is a challenge.


I got pictures of N. mossambica killing a sub adult puff adder.. The lady who took it sent me these pics.

They belong to Janine Scorer
Here they are..
Image
Image
Image

The puff adder was apparently killed and eaten by the m'fezi.

Only photos I got.
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Re: Amazing Cape Cobra Duell

Postby jka » Tue Jan 11, 2011 6:51 pm

Great thread guys! I'm really liking it.

Thanks for sharing the pics fooble.

Capes are little monsters! They take puffs as well sometimes, they are eating machines.

Nice photos Marcel.
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Re: Amazing Cape Cobra Duell

Postby Marcel2992 » Tue Jan 11, 2011 6:58 pm

jka wrote:They take puffs as well sometimes, they are eating machines.


Shame to the puff adders, they get eaten by lots of other snakes including N.annulifera (snouted cobras) Although I gave a dead puff adder to a snouty once, he did not take it..

Very interesting..
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Re: Amazing Cape Cobra Duell

Postby Kevin Lancaster » Tue Jan 11, 2011 10:06 pm

A silly question, but wouldn't the Cape Cobra's be imune to their own venom?
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Re: Amazing Cape Cobra Duell

Postby Bushviper » Thu Jan 13, 2011 9:27 am

Kevin I also thought that a snake was immune to its own venom but it would seem that large quantities injected into the brain does affect them.

I have seen snakes bite themselves and die (Gaboons and Puff adders) but I am assuming this could be due to mechanical trauma from the fangs too.

I have seen Rinkhals, Spitting cobras and Snouted cobras all kill and eat their own kind. In each case there were prolonged periods where the "winner" had the victim by the head. There is also the documentary of the king cobras eating each other.

I also think that if the snakes were separated the victim might recover. I think it is just immobilised enough to be swallowed.

This would be very interesting (but cruel) to do as a thesis. I would like to know how much venom snakes like file snakes and king snakes can take before succumbing to various venoms.
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Re: Amazing Cape Cobra Duell

Postby deleray » Thu Jan 13, 2011 12:39 pm

I have found in the past that the cobras tend to be more resistant to bites from their own kind than the vipers. On more than one occasion during feeding time over the years, I was not able to separate the animals in time during feeding, or just the scent of mice in the air sent the corbras going crazy in their cages.

If they see movement and they smell food then whatever it is gets bitten. Being expensive animals I wanted to kick myself and sat stressed for days keeping an eye on the snakes. Needless to say, multiple feeding response bites to the neck and head had no effect on the other snake whatsoever.

I have also had fer-de-lance poke one fang into the mid body of another and it rolls over within minutes and dies? This is no science, but I wonder if anyone has had similar experiences?
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Re: Amazing Cape Cobra Duell

Postby BOOGY » Tue Jan 18, 2011 10:49 pm

Wow seen pics of other cobras eating snakes but never seen a mozzie doing it. Kind of makes those pics special. Thanks Marcel.
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