Watch Epic Battle Caught On Camera: Komodo Monitor Vs. Spitting Cobra

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In the video pygmy mongooses take spectator seats as they watch an epic battle between a Komodo monitor and a spitting cobra.

How Do Komodo Monitors Hunt Their Prey?

Komodo monitors employ a special virtue when hunting their prey. It’s patience. They also naturally camouflage into their environments. With a bit of a disappearing act along with their willingness to wait, Komodo monitors make excellent hunters. Their prey is unsuspecting until they decide to pounce.

By that point, the Komodo monitor has all the advantages, using everything they have available to them for a successful kill. They use their shark-like teeth to chomp down on their prey, their claws to tear through flesh, and their sheer power to overcome their victims.

How Does A Spitting Cobra Defend Itself From Predators?

Much like their name suggests, spitting cobras spit their venom when they perceive a predator. Whereas other snakes wait to get close enough for a strike and bite to inject their venom, spitting cobras take a different approach. Not only is the venom shooting out from a distance, but spitting cobras shoot for the eyes. They aren’t using this carefully evolved skill to attack; they use it only when they feel the need to defend themselves.

Epic Battle Caught On Camera

When the video starts, a Komodo monitor is slowly making its way away from the camera. You can appreciate how heavy this reptile’s body is as it nearly drags each leg with every step forward. Despite how large and heavy these reptiles get they can be speedy when they need to be. Just as the Komodo monitor stops and looks off to the right, the narrator starts to explain that the pygmy mongooses in the area can’t tackle all the snakes, especially the spitting cobra the Komodo monitor is about to encounter.

Both reptiles notice one another but they’re both fierce. The Komodo moves in first, biting down on the spitting cobra’s body. The Komodo thrashes the snake around, picking up dust with its body as it does so. Unyielding, the Komodo dragon continues to thrash the snake’s body around like a rag doll. Despite the beating, the spitting cobra is still slithering about, intentional with its movements. The pygmy mongooses are like spectators, watching the fight go down. You have to see how the spitting cobra launches a counterattack despite the massive size difference.  

Is it Normal for Komodo Dragons to Survive Snake Bites?

Komodo dragons dine on venomous snakes on a regular basis – and it was believed that they were born with an immunity to snake venom. While this immunity is not innate, these fierce reptiles have developed unique defense mechanisms that enable them to survive encounters with venomous snakes. These are related to the bacteria found in their own bites – which is teaming with highly pathogenic bacteria that can render prey incapacitated in an instant.

The Komodo dragon’s immune system has adapted to recognize and counteract the toxins present in snake venom. Antibodies and other molecules bind and neutralize the venom’s harmful components. The blood of the Komodo dragon contains a high concentration of antimicrobial peptides that neutralize toxins. Combine this with the slow metabolism and blood clotting abilities of the animal – and you have a several pronged system of defense. Armed with these abilities – there is no reason for a Komodo dragon to avoid being bitten by a snake. Their venomous bites have little to no affect.