Graeme witnessed firsthand how these predatory birds are supremely skilled at catching their prey, and subsequently pinning them down with their talons, while they feast.
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Thanks to the nearness of the sighting and the positioning of the eagle and snake on the road, Graeme was able to witness this spellbinding moment undisturbed, within clear view.
Eagle descends upon snake
The H10 road, which leads to the Lower Sabie camp in the park offers breathtaking views, with beautiful landscapes and scenery.
“Late afternoon is the best time to head back to Lower Sabie with the sun behind you!” said Graeme, who explained this road was one of his favorites in the park.
Graeme was driving slowly through the park, and said he might’ve missed the incredible sighting had he been driving any faster.
“If I had been driving too fast in this instance the bird would have got a fright and flown off and the sighting would have been spoilt.”
However, what he and another vehicle witnessed was a display of the might of the brown snake eagle. A puff adder had been slowly slithering across the road when the eagle descended upon it.
Eagle proceeds to tear the live snake apart
The eagle didn’t wait for the snake to die before starting to feast on the animal. It began to eat and tear the snake apart while it was still alive!
“I felt sorry for the snake and it was a sighting that was not easy to watch,” said Graeme.
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The snake, pinned down by the eagle’s talons, did very little to retaliate, even though at intervals, its head could be seen moving. However, the eagle had strategically pinned it down and held it at pivotal places so that its head was unable to strike full force in defense.
The snake’s back had possibly also been broken by the eagle’s deathly ambush, which would have made retaliation even harder.
The determination of the eagle to speed, in spite of the snake still being alive, was difficult to watch, according to Graeme. “Even now when I watch the video I get upset when watching the snake suffering. Not many people like snakes but this was a painfully slow death.”
The snake continued to show signs of life, in spite of the eagle pulling large chunks of flesh from its body.
Snake eagles are prime snake hunters, shaped to kill snakes. They have powerful talons which are used to kill the snake, and will drive these through the snake’s head and body, before it has a chance to bite them in defense. Their legs and feet are also covered in thick scales to protect them from bites.
Having exceptional coordination and ‘eagle vision’, they are formidable predators and are known to take on some of the deadliest snakes.
The bird continued to pull out the puff adder’s flesh and the snake soon grew completely still. Its defense would have been its venom, however, the eagle had prevented it from using its head – and hence, venom – in any meaningful way to defend itself.
The suddenness of the attack had disarmed the puff adder before it had any fair chance to fight for its life.
Snake’s head left lying in the road
The eagle demolished the snake in a relatively short period of time, feasting at everything except for the snake’s upper section, which included its head.
“The snake eagle tore the snake in half and soon after flew away to enjoy his supper with only the tail end in his beak, the end without venom. The venom glands are located in the head of the puffadder. This part of the snake was left lying on the road.”
Graeme said that the next morning when he had driven the same route there was no evidence of the snake. “It is possible a hyena or another scavenger had taken the snake for a meal.”