Two black mambas have been filmed wrestling over a female as mating season takes hold in South Africa.
A resident in Escombe, Queensburgh, in the KwaZulu-Natal region just happened to look out of his bedroom window when he saw the two extremely venomous snakes fighting.
The video, which was taken by snake catcher Duncan Slabbert and the home resident, shows the two snakes intertwining, twisting around each other as their heads move in different directions.
Local snake catcher Nick Evans, who shared the footage to his Facebook page, said this behavior is typical for this time of year as it is currently the snakes' mating season.
Black mambas are extremely venomous snakes native to southern Africa. Their bite can kill someone in 30 minutes if left untreated, but they do not bite unless directly provoked.
It is not uncommon for residents to find the snakes entering their homes, although this is more likely in the warmer summer months when they are more active.
Many may look at the footage and think it is a male and female mating—however it is actually two males fighting over a female, the snake catcher said.
The species can smell a female from miles away, and multiple male snakes will often show up to the same spot.
"The mambas fought for the 15 minutes or so that it took Duncan to get there. Duncan was then incredibly fortunate enough to watch them continue wrestling for another 15-20 minutes," Evans said. "I've been lucky to witness male combat in mambas a few times, but never for more than a few seconds. Male mambas don't bite each other. They wrestle till one surrenders."
The slightly larger snake kept pulling the smaller one back as the fight continued. It then tried to pull its smaller counterpart down, pinning it there for a few moments.
Eventually, the smaller black mamba surrendered and slithered away.
"Of course, the residents weren't too happy to have the mambas in the garden. Hardly anyone would. So, Duncan skillfully caught both," Evans said.
Evans said the two mambas were "exhausted after the battle," meaning it was an easy catch for the snake catcher.
Evans later met up with his friend to evaluate the black mambas. The larger one measured 8.5 feet, while the smaller one was 8.2 feet long.
Black mambas are an incredibly long snake species, and have been known to grow to lengths of 14 feet, although this is rare.
Do you have an animal or nature story to share with Newsweek? Do you have a question about black mambas? Let us know via nature@newsweek.com.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Robyn White is a Newsweek Nature Reporter based in London, UK. Her focus is reporting on wildlife, science and the ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
