Squirrel is one of the cobra’s favorite dishes. Therefore, the video recording the moment when the squirrel fights tenaciously with this venomous snake has surprised many witnesses.
The clip of the incredible encounter between a squirrel and a cobra was captured by Jannette Kotze, 53, while driving through the desert at Kgalagadi Nature Reserve (South Africa). Kotze said she and her husband were shocked to see the fight between the two animals, so they immediately stopped the car to record the scene.
The clip captured by Kotze shows the moment a fan-tailed squirrel is actively chasing and attacking a golden cobra.
Cobra feels uncomfortable when being chased and disturbed by squirrels, so it puffs up its gills and raises its head threateningly. Snakes also launch deadly bites at their opponents, but the squirrel reacts quickly and easily dodges.
The fight between the two animals took place not too long, before the cobra slithered away to avoid prolonging the fight, and the squirrel did not continue to chase the poisonous snake.
“I couldn’t believe my luck. Only my husband and I witnessed this interesting encounter,” said Mrs. Jannette, living in the capital of Pretoria (South Africa), shared. “I have never seen such a brave squirrel, dare to stand up against such a poisonous snake. I am completely amazed and in awe of the bravery of this squirrel.”
The clip went viral after being posted on social media platforms. Many animal experts after watching the clip also expressed amazement at what happened. Many people predict that the cobra may have attacked the fantail squirrel’s burrow, causing the animal to have to find a way to chase the snake away to protect its children.
The fan-tailed squirrel, also known as the South African ground squirrel, is a rodent in the squirrel family, usually living in burrows, rather than living in trees. This squirrel lives in arid regions in southern African countries such as South Africa, Botswana, Namibia…
Adult male fantails are larger than females. This is a burrowing animal and lives in large clusters of burrows, with many entrances to help them escape when in danger. These squirrels use the sun as a way to navigate and remember the location of their burrows when they go out to feed.
The fantail squirrel’s food is tubers, fruits, herbs and insects. This squirrel feeds every day and does not store food in the burrow.
Fantailed squirrels are often the target of hunting and food for snakes, but sometimes also dare to stand up against predators (Image: Wikipedia).
Fantailed squirrels are highly social animals, living together in groups of 2 to 10 adults to protect their young. Fantailed squirrels are the target of predators such as jackals, African wild dogs, snakes… Sometimes fantail squirrels will gather in groups to fight back or find a way to chase predators away. cave.
Meanwhile, the golden cobra, also known as the South African cobra, is a deadly venomous snake that lives throughout southern Africa. This snake when mature is usually from 1.2 to 1.5m long; can sometimes be more than 1.8m long. The male golden cobra is larger than the female.
Yellow cobras eat a variety of foods, including rodents, lizards, birds, sometimes carrion and other snakes, even cannibals. Natural enemies of golden cobras include honey badger, mongoose with resistance to snake venom, and some birds of prey that specialize in eating snakes.
The golden cobra possesses a lethal nerve venom. People who are bitten by a snake and do not receive immediate medical attention can die within an hour due to respiratory failure. The golden cobra has a wide distribution, including in densely populated areas, so this snake also frequently encounters humans.