Casper Badenhorst, a mine manager, filmed this encounter on the Voortekker road with his family, telling Latest Sightings that after spotting the chameleon he “stopped to show our children what the chameleon looks like”.
While they were looking closely at the little reptile, Casper “noticed that it had black spots which appeared and disappeared on various parts of its body”.
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They only had a few moments to get a good look, according to Casper, as the chameleon quickly took off running away from them down the road, when it apparently crossed the snake’s slither spoor. The first indication of what was to come.
Why Did The Chameleon Cross The Road?
This chameleon was likely having a bad day even before Casper and his family got close to it. Chameleons are famous for changing their skin color, but their pigmentation can also be used to tell their emotional state.
Black spots on a chameleon can have several potential causes, most of them negative. It could be a sign of damage on, or beneath, the skin, or be a stress response.
As it ran away, Casper said “I could see that its hind legs were not functioning well”, indicating that this chameleon had recently had a run in with something, maybe even the very snake whose tracks it crossed.
A Slithery Sighting
Some venomous snakes do back away after biting to give their venom time to take effect. They don’t need to risk hurting themselves in a fight if they can just wait patiently for their natural weapons to incapacitate their prey.
Perhaps because of its injured back legs, the chameleon didn’t get very far before stopping in the road, and that’s when the snake slithered out of the long grass to claim its prize.
Casper said it “was apparent that the snake had bitten the chameleon moments before”, and the evidence adds up. If the chameleon was showing black spots, and its back legs weren’t working, it’s likely the snake was the culprit.
A Takeaway Meal
The snake approached the chameleon with a liquid smoothness, and the chameleon offered little reaction its appearance, indicating that the venom had rendered it completely helpless.
The snake picked up the smaller reptile, and instantly started speeding back to the long grass. Casper said that it quickly disappeared and they “could only see grass moving about a meter into the bush for a few seconds more”.
Some snakes make chameleons and other small reptiles a frequent part of their diet, alongside the typical rodents and mammals. This snake had secured its prize, and now moved off to enjoy it in peace.
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Minimal Fuss
The whole encounter lasted only a matter of moments, with the speed and confidence of the snake meaning it collected the chameleon quickly once its injuries had rendered it helpless.
Seeing snakes hunt this way might not be as visually impressive as watching lions and leopards bring down larger prey like buffalo, but the simple and effective methods of this snake highlights the prowess of a different kind of predator.
Casper said that for “tourists like us, this is not likely a sighting that will ever be repeated, nor do many people ever get to see a wild snake catch something”.