Deadly 7-Foot Cobra Eats Snake in Wild Video: 'Hunter Becomes the Hunted'

Stunning footage of a deadly cobra eating another snake has been posted on social media.

Marrick Safari owner Trevor Datnow shared on Facebook the spectacular video he filmed of the Cape cobra gradually consuming a mole snake. The clip was filmed near Datnow's home in the South African city of Kimberley and captures what Datnow told Newsweek was "the last chapter of a confrontation between life and death."

Snakes are an ever-present danger to people in Africa. The African Snakebite Institute estimates that about 20,000 people die from snakebites across the continent every year.

Many of these deaths are the result of a shortage of antivenom. But while Africa as a whole has a serious snakebite problem, South Africa is very much an exception, with snakebites accounting for just 10 to 12 deaths annually.

If there is one species of snake locals are fearful of, it's the Cape cobra. While these reptiles more often than not flee when coming into contact with humans, a bite from a Cape cobra is a very serious matter. When they bite, Cape cobras transmit a very powerful, fast-acting neurotoxic venom that can be life-threatening and requires urgent medical care.

Datnow first got wind of the Cape cobra's presence on his property after receiving a "frantic call" informing him "there were two snakes and they were fighting."

He said: "They were not sure what to do, as I don't allow snakes to be killed on my property, and they knew I would be very annoyed if someone killed it."

Datnow rushed home to witness the extraordinary spectacle and made it just in time. "Usually, snakes would get away and hide immediately," he explained. "They must have been too involved with each other, both hunters but one being the one hunted, to be aware of the commotion surrounding them."

Because he runs safaris, Datnow has encountered his fair share of snakes and usually knows how best to deal with them. "I'm not afraid of snakes," he said. "I understand their behavior to a degree, having caught hundreds."

Normally, he would try to catch the stray reptile and release it farther away from his house. However, when he got there and saw that the Cape cobra had overpowered the mole snake, he decided to stop for a moment and watch, filming the encounter on his phone.

"I was very excited about seeing this in real life. I was very aware of these happenings but never witnessed it," he said. "I was very surprised at the size of the mole snake that had fallen prey. It was fairly large. The cobra was close to 2 meters. This is way above average."

The footage drew a strong response on social media. "Wow, the cobra eats very fast," one viewer wrote. Another commented: "The hunter becomes the hunted."

A third added: "What an amazing sighting." A fourth declared: "Snakes look beautiful until they start swallowing something."

Despite the terrifying nature of the clip, Datnow was not perturbed by what he saw. "It is very venomous and extremely dangerous, but I felt quite comfortable," he said. "I knew what I was doing."

This isn't the first time footage of a snake in South Africa has drawn attention online.

In January, it was reported that a man in South Africa "nearly flew out of the bathroom" when he found a deadly black mamba behind his toilet. Elsewhere, a homeowner was left stunned when a Cape cobra emerged from underneath a towel outside a bathroom.

Another snake sighting in South Africa left many on social media stumped, thanks to the reptile's scarily good camouflage.