King cobras are somewhat resistant to the venom of their own kind, so it may take a while for one party to be subdued. - DARYL TAN
SINGAPORE: “Huge snake!!!” read the caption of a video that snake photographer Daryl Tan’s father sent him in the afternoon on Thursday (June 6).
At that point, the elder Tan did not realise that he was possibly the first person here to have recorded on camera a king cobra cannibalising another member of its species, swallowing it whole while it was still alive.
Tan leapt when he saw his father’s video, shot at a mangrove forest in the western part of the island.
“He often sends me pictures and videos of snakes as he knows I get excited at every sighting, and also asks me to identify the species,” the 35-year-old educator told The Straits Times.
“Often, they are just common snakes, like painted bronzebacks and paradise tree snakes, but this time he struck gold without even realising it.”
King cobras are a rare sight in Singapore, and are even harder to find with their prey.
The species is classified as vulnerable in the Singapore Red Data book, which provides information such as the scientific and common names along with descriptions of each plant and animal species here.
There was only one other recorded sighting of a king cobra attacking another member of its species in April 2019, but the observer did not stay to view the rest of the event, so it is unclear if the smaller snake was eventually killed or eaten.
Daryl Tan said: “Any sighting of predation, regardless of the species, is always significant.”
In his 19 years of photographing wildlife, he had encountered only one other case of reptile cannibalism, with a gecko preying on another.
“The moment I saw the video and recognised that it was a king cobra cannibalising a smaller one, I knew I had to see it for myself even if it meant taking a leap of faith and possibly ending up disappointed if the trip was for naught.”
After verifying the contents of the video with his fellow enthusiasts, Tan rushed down to the scene with one of them, Remy Shek, 16.
For the duo, there was no way of knowing how far along the battle of the kings was, or whether they were even still in the area they were spotted in. If the fight had just started, it would take a while.
A previous encounter where a king cobra was seen battling and eventually consuming a reticulated python in 2023 lasted over seven hours.
King cobras are also somewhat resistant to the venom of their own kind, so it may take a while for one party to be subdued.
Having witnessed the 2023 confrontation, Tan said the latest encounter is still “the ultimate prize”.
“We thought the battle between the king cobra and the reticulated python was a royal rumble because it was between the longest venomous snake in the world and the longest snake in the world – but this is a clash of true royalty,” he said.
“Unfortunately, it was checkmate for one of them.”
Arriving at the scene about an hour later, Tan and Shek located both king cobras.
They observed that the larger one is more than 3m in length. The smaller one is estimated to be more than 2m long, but the two are otherwise similar in girth.
The larger cobra had already dragged the smaller one out from where they were first spotted, and was consuming it on a footpath.
However, the smaller cobra was not dead yet. “It would from time to time resist and put up a fight even when half its body was already in the mouth of the larger one,” said Tan.
Rain started at one point, so both enthusiasts had to keep their cameras. They continued observing the phenomenon from afar for about 1½ hours in the rain, until the larger snake had completely consumed its prey and slithered away, said Shek.
Tan said they had to keep their distance throughout the encounter for their own safety. After all, they were photographing two highly venomous snakes.
They also did not want to cause any stress to the animal as snakes are known to regurgitate and abandon their meals as an escape tactic.
“The wildlife is always more important than the photography,” said Tan.
Shivaram Rasu, scientific officer of the Herpetological Society of Singapore, confirmed that both snakes were indeed king cobras, and said that the finding appeared to be the first reliable documentation of king cobra cannibalism in the wild in Singapore.
“While king cobras are occasionally spotted in nature areas like Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, a cannibalistic feeding encounter like this is a rare and unique occurrence,” he said.
“This sighting is particularly intriguing as it provides us with valuable insights into the dietary habits of king cobras. While cannibalism within a species has been observed in various snake species worldwide, it remains a relatively uncommon occurrence, making this observation all the more significant,” he added
The 30-year-old environmental consultant added that it is crucial to report such encounters on scientific platforms like the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum’s Nature in Singapore Biodiversity Records, contributing to collective knowledge and conservation efforts.
Tan said he intends to do just that.
Should members of the public encounter such incidents, Shivaram advised them to give the animals a wide berth as those hunting or feeding can be more susceptible to stress and interference.
“It’s important to remember that these are wild animals, and our presence can cause them stress or disrupt their natural behaviour,” he said.
“Respecting their space is not only for our safety but also for their well-being.” - The Straits Times/ANN
