SINGAPORE: “Huge snake!!!” was the caption of a video sent to snake photographer Daryl Tan by his father on Thursday afternoon (June 6).
What the elder Tan didn’t know at the time was that he might be the first person in Singapore to capture a king cobra cannibalising another member of its species and swallowing it whole and alive.
Tan sprang when he watched his father’s video, taken in a mangrove forest on the west of the island.
King Cobra Cannibalism: A Rare Encounter Unfolds
“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 rarely spotted in Singapore and are even harder to find with their prey.
The species is listed as endangered in Singapore’s Red Data Book, which contains information such as scientific and common names and descriptions of each plant and animal species.
A Photographer’s Dedication
In April 2019, there was only one other recorded sighting of a king cobra attacking another member of its species, but the observer did not stick around to observe the rest of the event, so it is unclear whether the smaller snake was ultimately killed or eaten.
Daryl Tan said: “Any sighting of predation, regardless of the species, is always significant.”
In his 19 years of wildlife photography, he had only encountered one other case of reptile cannibalism, where one gecko was chasing another.
Chasing the Ultimate Wildlife Moment
“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 footage with his fellow enthusiasts, Tan rushed to the scene with one of them, 16-year-old Remy Shek.
There was no way for the duo to know how far the king cobra battle had progressed, or if they were still in the area where they had been spotted. If the fight had just started, it would take time.
A previous encounter where a king cobra was observed fighting and eventually swallowing a reticulated python in 2023 lasted more than seven hours.
King cobras are also somewhat resistant to the venom of their own species, so it can take a while to defeat a group.
After witnessing the 2023 battle, Tan said the final 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.”
A Momentous Observation
When Tan and Shek arrived at the scene about an hour later, they both found king cobras.
They found that the larger one was more than 3m long, while the smaller one is estimated to be more than 2m long, but otherwise both have a similar girth.
The larger cobra had already dragged the smaller one away from where it was first seen and was eating it on a footpath.
However, the smaller one 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.
Documenting the Event
At one point it started to rain, so the two enthusiasts had to keep their cameras. They observed the phenomenon from a distance in the rain for about an hour and a half until the larger snake completely ate its prey and walked away, Shek said.
According to Tan, the duo had to keep their distance throughout the encounter to ensure their own safety. Finally, they photographed two highly venomous snakes.
They also did not want to stress 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.
Expert Confirmation
A researcher at the Herpetological Society of Singapore, Shivaram Rasu, confirmed that the two snakes were indeed king cobras and said the discovery 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.
Photo Courtesy: DARYL TAN
