It’s a battle of the reptiles at the Kruger National Park, as Marissa, a safari goer, caught a boomslang snake fighting a chameleon on camera in a ferocious battle that could go either way.
Lions, hyenas and wild dogs often come to mind when discussing predators in the Kruger, but at every size of the wild there is a deadly struggle for survival in full swing, and Marissa’s footage shows this.
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A hungry boomslang was on the hunt, and this chameleon wasn’t going down without a fight.
Not The Time For Stealth
Chameleons are famous for their camouflage abilities which keep them safe and enable them to hide from potential predators. Becoming as close to invisible as the animal kingdom allows doesn’t always work, however.
When camouflage fails and something spots the chameleon, it must be ready to defend itself however it can. A sticky tongue isn’t a great defensive weapon, and they don’t have claws, leaving it with biting as the only option.
The First Bite
Even here a snake has a clear advantage as the teeth of a chameleon are mostly only dangerous to the insects they eat. The boomslang’s weapons were more dangerous, and it got the first bite in.
It seemed like the snake stealthily approached the chameleon from the side and bit it hard near its back legs. Although the chameleon instantly started thrashing, it was unable to break free for a few moments.
This was potentially fatal for the chameleon at an early stage, as boomslang snakes have highly potent venom that affects blood coagulation, meaning all the boomslang had to do now was wait.
Ride Out The Violence
The boomslang, no doubt knowing its venom will take effect soon enough, immediately began backing away from its prey after biting it, staying out of the chameleon’s reach as it tried to bite the snake back.
In the chaos of the fight, there was a moment where it looked as though the chameleon was able to bite the snake’s tail, and ended up riding it for a short way.
Against another kind of predator, this might have been enough to make a difference, but a snake is far too flexible for such unorthodox tactics to have much of an effect.
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A Tasty Looking Meal
A chameleon is a tasty treat for a boomslang. These snakes will eat other small reptiles and eggs that they can find, as well as small mammals and birds when it can reach them, swallowing them all whole.
Although this chameleon looks to be considerably larger than the snake, it lacks any means of effectively fighting an opponent armed with venom, making it nothing more than another potential meal trapped in a one-way fight.
Although the chameleon kept charging at its attacker with its mouth open, the snake was able to stay out of its reach. It kept backing away, knowing that the chameleon had already lost, and it was only a matter of time before it could enjoy a nice meal.