Mozambique Spitting Cobra bites off more than it can swallow in Westville

NICK Evans, a local snake expert, was called in to retrieve a Mozambique Spitting Cobra that was caught snacking on a spotted Bush Snake in a garage in Westville North.

The homeowner spotted the scene when she was about to leave to fetch her daughter from school.

“But there was this venomous obstacle,” said Evans. “I have seen many photos and videos of these snakes feeding on snakes, especially Brown House Snakes, but never the fast, agile and climbing Bush Snake.”

The first thing he noticed was the obvious size difference between the two snakes and noted the cobra was only about half the length of the bush snake.

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“There was no way it was going to finish its meal. Snakes do not chew or bite off pieces. They’re not capable of that. They have to swallow their prey whole,” he said.

The cobra desperately tried to regurgitate its meal, but couldn’t. Nick stepped in to help.

“The bush snake’s head was partially digested and was not the most pleasant sight. Remarkably, while it had a full mouth, it was still able to spit at me,” said Evans.

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At the time of going to press, the contents of this feature mirrored South Africa’s lockdown regulations.

 

 

 

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