Venomous Snakes

[Tshokwane]

Wilderness Safaris:
A Writhe of Anchieta's Cobras

On a recent trip to Linkwasha whilst on our afternoon game drive we included a stop at the breathtaking Ngamo Plains. The Ngamo Plains are situated in the furthest reaches of south-eastern Hwange National Park and boast a vast open expanse of wilderness with natural pans as well as some elevated areas with the occasional tree to break up what would otherwise be a constant distant horizon. Being late April, the grass was starting to thin but still maintained its lush green look as well as expansive herds of wildebeest and impala for grazing. It is always a great place to visit due to the amount of grazers and browsers that can be found at this time of year and the potential of predators that follow.
After watching a black-backed jackal searching for what looked like eggs due to the loud dismay of some nearby crowned lapwings, Richard, our guide, continued along the road to find a spot for sundowners. As I scanned the area for more animals, shifting my eyes from giraffe in the distance to another herd of wildebeest, James my colleague let out a faint ‘Ah!’ then silence. The tone of his voice told me he had seen something but he was not letting on. I asked what he had seen and he answered that he thought he saw a large snake a few feet off the road but it looked dead. We quickly asked Richard to reverse so we could see if it was true.

After backing up the vehicle we came alongside what looked like exactly that, a motionless, very large snake. It was about 20 feet away and the light was fading fast. The snake looked like a snake but there seemed to be no end to it, nor any beginning! As we looked on puzzled, Richard quietly informed us that it was in fact not one large snake but two that were engaged in a fight. Each snake had the other in its jaws and this made an almost endless writhe of slippery scales. We used our camera zooms and binoculars to get a better look as we watched the battle ensue. It was a pair of Anchieta’s cobras, previously known as the Egyptian Cobra; one was somewhat larger than the other. Although both snakes had their fangs firmly pierced into the skin of the other, neither would die from the venomous cytotoxic bites that would otherwise be extremely dangerous to humans, as they seem to be immune from their own poison.

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

We watched for a good ten minutes as each snake tried to manoeuvre into a better position to inflict a telling bite on the other. It played out like two large wrestlers jostling for position, each wanting a better hold but not wanting to risk losing the current position they had. The pair slid back and forth ever so slowly until the larger snake, estimated to be around six foot, doubled back on itself and had more purchase on the sandy soil to shift the smaller snake into a position to swallow it!

*This image is copyright of its original author

With a swift release and then a bite the larger snake had the smaller one positioned face first down its gullet. It held firm for a few minutes before slowly swallowing its competitor. The smaller snake was not done yet and proceeded to try and roll its way out of danger, something similar to the death roll practiced by their reptilian kin, the crocodile. The larger snake instantly rolled the same way as the smaller one, resulting in the smaller snake trying to wrap what was left of its un-swallowed body around the top half of the snake devouring it.

This provided a respite for about two minutes before the smaller snake started to continue its slow disappearance into the belly of the larger snake. It seemed that the sheer power of the larger snake’s peristalsis was enough to slowly slide the smaller snake down its throat. By now the sun had set and we had forgotten completely about our sundowner plan!

We slowly moved off, everyone still amazed by what we had seen, and settled on a nearby pan for a nice gin and tonic. Instead of sunset we watched the beautiful full moon rise over the Ngamo Plains.


Cannibalism is not uncommon in snakes and many may eat the same species or another species of snake if possible. It is likely that the larger Anchieta’s cobra did not actively hunt the smaller one but was following up on a female when the two became engaged in a territorial battle. The result was an opportunity for the larger snake to not only win the rights to the female but also get in a meal as well.

Written and Photographed by Graham Simmonds Reply