Interesting Kruger sighting

Interesting Kruger sighting

Postby babyball » Sat Oct 10, 2009 6:31 pm

My friend was in the Kruger park recently and he saw something that was pretty amazing. He witnessed a Cape Cobra (Identified by the guide) and a Black Mamba fighting. Unfortunately you can't see much in the pics but here they are anyway.

Image
Image

Cheers,
Brad
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Re: Interesting Kruger sighting

Postby Pythonodipsas » Sat Oct 10, 2009 6:49 pm

Funny how a guide doesn't know the snakes in his region. That's a Mozambique Spitting Cobra.
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Re: Interesting Kruger sighting

Postby armata » Sat Oct 10, 2009 6:50 pm

The cobra is an Mfezi, Mozambique spitter. Unusual behaviour as during my black mamba study these two often shared the same refuge.
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Re: Interesting Kruger sighting

Postby Fooble » Sat Oct 10, 2009 6:53 pm

That's a Mozambique Spitting Cobra Naja mossambica.

Cool pictures!
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Re: Interesting Kruger sighting

Postby armata » Sat Oct 10, 2009 6:57 pm

babyball - do you have any more info as to what these snakes were actually doing, I vcannot really believe they were fighting; maybe prey was involved??
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Re: Interesting Kruger sighting

Postby babyball » Sat Oct 10, 2009 6:59 pm

Thanks for the correction guys.

Have no idea Armata. Apparently they were weaving in and out of the mound.... Your opinion would be far more educated so I would be inclined to say that there was something else that was going on.

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Re: Interesting Kruger sighting

Postby Amphibian » Sat Oct 10, 2009 10:44 pm

Am i perhaps missing something? is that a picture of two different snakes? if so they both look like spitters to me although i could be mistaken which might explain the fighting.......
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Re: Interesting Kruger sighting

Postby Bushviper » Sun Oct 11, 2009 6:41 am

Did they not get a photo of the "black mamba"? Both the snakes in these shots are mozambique spitters.
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Re: Interesting Kruger sighting

Postby mgiddings » Sun Oct 11, 2009 9:21 am

I only see one snake?
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Re: Interesting Kruger sighting

Postby froot » Sun Oct 11, 2009 11:28 am

The last photo, I don't think a cobra would hood at itself?
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Re: Interesting Kruger sighting

Postby mgiddings » Sun Oct 11, 2009 11:41 am

yes the colouration is confusing and maybe something was outside the picture?
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Re: Interesting Kruger sighting

Postby jka » Sun Oct 11, 2009 12:21 pm

Is that one snake in the last picture? He hoods and then in a mound further down to the left their is a body.

Is that his own body or another snake?

I cant see the mamba, can anyone point it out?
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Re: Interesting Kruger sighting

Postby mgiddings » Sun Oct 11, 2009 12:33 pm

jka that is were the confusion is, the colouration is the same. So that could be a mamba on the left and the mfezi on the right, or maybe the same snake.
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Re: Interesting Kruger sighting

Postby babyball » Sun Oct 11, 2009 1:29 pm

Guys,

I was just given the pictures and told what was going on. Whether those are the same snake or not, I cannot answer so please just understand that. I will try and find out which is which or whats going on.

cheers,
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Re: Interesting Kruger sighting

Postby CLSmith » Sun Oct 11, 2009 2:09 pm

Does that look like sub caudal scales on the part of the body sticking out on the second photo?

And I understand that to the layman, any dark coloured hosepipe is possibly a mamba. If it was the guide identifying the snakes, then clearly he made a mistake on the Mozambique spitter. Then possibly a mamba was not even involved?

And surely fighting could be expected, as snakes are territorial? That seems to be some huge termite mound capable of providing a couple of homes to snakes.
The amazing part is that fighting was observed. So now the question to the observers:
1. How many rounds did the fight last?
2. What was the fighting like?
3. Was there a K.O.?
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