Cobra cannibalism more prevalent than previously thought

Researchers in South Africa investigate cannibalism in cape cobras and others in the region

Date:  October 2, 2018

Source:  Ecological Society of America

Summary:

Researchers in South Africa's Kalahari Desert found a large male cape cobra devouring another smaller male of the same species. Surprised by the thought-to-be-rare event, they decided to investigate how common and widespread cannibalism was in cobras.

Last spring, researchers in South Africa's Kalahari Desert found a large male cape cobra devouring another smaller male of the same species. Surprised by the thought-to-be-rare event, they decided to investigate how common and widespread cannibalism was in cobras.

Apart from a few species, scientific understanding of snake diets is lacking. Snakes are elusive creatures that feed relatively infrequently, making feeding observations difficult to come by. Bryan Maritz, a researcher at the University of the Western Cape and lead author of the new study in the Ecological Society of America's journal Ecology, explains, "This work highlights a renewed effort to meaningfully quantify several aspects of snake natural history, especially in poorly studied regions such as Africa."

While cape cobras are known to eat other snake species -- up to a third of their diet -- recorded instances of cape cobras eating individuals of the same species, known as conspecifics, has been extremely rare. Scientists have treated such reported observations as aberrant behavior.

So, what caused this cape cobra to attack and eat the smaller male of its kind? How often does this happen? Do all cobras take part in cannibalism?

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