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first of all I hope I am correct in assuming that this is indeed a cape cobra (as seen on the road to nossob in KTP about 4 weeks ago)



for all the minutes we stayed with it the snake did not move at all, at the same time not showing any (outside) wounds...I later learned that cape cobras sometimes play dead...but why? as a defense mechanism? defense against what? would a predator not "pick up" a presumably dead snake? or does the snake "hope" to look like for instance a branch of a tree?

thanks

Sorry to tell you this but there is a good reason why this one didn't move... it's dead... Few cobras have been known to play dead but the Rinkhals (not a true cobra) is brilliant at this game. But if given the chance they will make a rapid escape, and in all likelihood they will not do this in the road.

This snake was probably driven over and you often find that even though they have no external wounds, the back bone is broken and the snake is paralized and will die soon after. I would imagine this kind of injury will be even more common on sandy soil where there aren't many sharp objects to cut through the skin.

The reason rinkhals play dead is probably to get into a better position for a strike. They might be relatively slow strikers that some animals can dodge (such as meerkats and mongoose), but they might very well be able to get a bite in if the animal drops his/her guard because the snake is "dead". And other animals might simply lose interest if there is no movement...

what makes you believe it was dead? simply because I tell you it didn't move? because while we were watching it another car stopped..I told the driver that I thought the snake was dead and he was the one who said "oh no, it ain't, it's just pretending"...and he seemed to know what he was talking about...a few hours before we had indeed come across a dead cape cobra (I posted pictures on the "snake ID" thread) and there you can clearly see how the car tyres left "imprints" on the snakes' body

here's another pic of the second snake...I'm by no means an expert but this position doesn't look one of a snake that has tried to crawl away from an approaching car only to be run over by it...but hey, you guys will probably know way better than me

Unfortunately I have to agree with BushSnake I saw a couple just like it in the KTP, and they both looked the same- no external injuries (because of the sand), but very much dead. I've come across lots of Cape Cobras, and have never met one that plays dead or stays still. Cape Cobras will either hood up at you or get away at the first oppertunity.

The position it's in looks like it might have writhed around in pain before it died. Not nice...

ok, I trust you guys on this

Sorry I should have explained this in the previous post.... The posture isn't right for a snake that is playing dead. All the rinkhals, heralds and skaapstekers that I have seen play dead with their heads exposed, and not half buried in the sand like this one. Our snakes only really play dead once you start handling them, and will not remain like that if the "threat" moves on.

We often remove snakes from tar roads so that we can release them in safer environments, and all too often have we opened the bucket or bag the next morning only to find a snake that looked perfectly healthy the previous evening, to be laying belly up... I specifically remember a nice big fat puff adder in January near Lephalale (Ellisras) that still puffed at us, and still struck at moving objects, and she was completely dead the next morning. Only after a very detailed inspections did we find the broken back bone, but there were absolutely no external damage at all.

It remains extremely sad to see all these dead snakes on roads... especially in National Parks where people should be looking out for them!

Cape Cobra in KTP:

Cape Cobras really are beauiful snakes, I never get tired of watching them do what they do best. Anyway, I thought you may find this interesting:

Several completley different animals use thanatosis (playing dead) for several different reasons, but most of the smaller animals (some mice, snakes and dwarf mongooses) use it to deter birds of prey. Raptors grip with their front claws, and then drive the talon of the back toe in as a killing spike, when a raptor grabs an animal, it waits for the animal to struggle - the moment this happens, the raptor drives the "Killing talon" in.

Thanatosis in smaller animals has been evolved to make the animal freeze when it is grabbed (Eg. by an eagle) so that the eagle won't kill it, but merely take it to the skies, the moment the eagle puts the snake down, however, the snake will dart away or fight back.

In larger animals thanatosis will have other reasons, but I'm not sure of those...

Stopping under a huge camelthorn to watch some sociable weavers, I told my SO that cape cobras like to hunt inside their nests.

My words were not even cold when mr. cobra appeared.......!



Sighting was in January this year close to Mata-Mata (KGT).



It is the first time that I've seen the "speckled" phase of the cape cobra. When I shared my sighting with an oncoming tourist I was told that there is no such thing as a cape cobra, and that this snake is a "yellow mamba"!

Sorry but dont think the oncoming tourist knows the diffs anyway, sorry....

@DuneRichard

Very interesting posting! I suspect the little blighters enjoy flying.

Adansonia
Incredible photos, you were at the right place at the right time!
(I'm yet to see a yellow mamba. )

While having a look in the diary of the last KTF - Trip, I was reminded on a very special day in the park:

I started at Nossob at 5.20 a.m. The days before were a glorious mess because of the fact that all four tyres of the car were badly punctured by acacia thorns. The only intact tyre was a buy from the workshop of Nossob Camp – luckily they had a small 155R13 for my rented City Golf. There was nearly no profile on it, but I had to be happy about it!

Certainly the friendly guys at the filling stations did their best to repair things – a difficult job, but well done under difficult circumstances. They were not sure about the spare wheel – they found more punctures (eight!) than repair patches were available in the whole camp…

Well, for the first time after 16 years I was not too sad when I had to leave a National Park. Frankly spoken, I was bad tempered, really bad. Imagine a puffadder disturbed from her midday nap.

At the gate I found five other cars heading south. Our convoy stopped after some 500 meters; three male lions where lying a the edge of the road. It took me some time to pass the other cars. Four scandinavian tourists in a stinking landrover shook their heads about that funny guy who didn´t care for big cats. But now there was nothing beween me and the workshop in Upington only 260 more kms to go.

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

Obviously one of the snakes was already injured. But no attempt to escape was successful;
The 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.




Finally she was dragged into a bush.

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

Oh my goodness what a sighting

Wow!

Thanks for sharing

It's quite possible that the 'killer' dragged the other one away an ate it. Cape Cobras are known for that.

Wow, what an amazing sighting I wonder if it was a territorial fight or if the bigger snake was preying on the smaller one