A bathing cobra was less than impressed by the 20 marabou storks that came to join it in a water hole.
Things became tricky for the highly-venomous snake when the flock noticed and surrounded it. So the cobra resorted to slither tactics as it tried to navigate its way through the maze of storks while looking for safety.
Joachim Wendenburg recorded the unlikely encounter and submitted his account of the incident to Latest Sightings. He filmed it while on safari in Chobe National Park, northern Botswana. Being at the sighting for over 30 minutes, Joachim filmed and sent us several clips, the first showing his vehicle approaching a shallow pan where a large flock of marabou storks are gathered.
Storks
He said, “From a distance, we noticed a group of storks gathered around a waterhole. Curiously, they were standing close together, all intently staring at the ground as if they had discovered something unusual.” Intrigued, the safari vehicle approached. As they came abreast of the birds, his companion noticed that there was a snake in the shallow water. Consequently, they stopped immediately, fascinated to see such an unlikely combination of species. In the picture above, a snake lies at the feet of the stork in the centre of the image.
As the snake lifted its head above the water, it was immediately clear that it was a cobra, although Joachim could not say what species. There are, however, several species that are known to inhabit the region. It is not at all uncommon for snakes to be found in water. They are competent swimmers and many of them, hunt amphibians and soak to aid their shedding process. The shallow water likely host an abundance of frogs, making this the ideal hunting spot for both storks and snakes.
At first, the marabous seem to take the presence of the cobra in their stride. If anything, it is the cobra that gets agitated. When cobras feel threatened, they typically spread their “hoods” to ward off threats. Cobras can do this by using a combination of specialised muscles and modified ribs. These flatten to create the distinctive shape.
Some cobra species are known for their aggression, and this cobra, making its hood spread and repeatedly lunging at the storks might seem like a typical cobra move. However, the snake is in a very serious predicament here. Unsettled by the snake’s threatening behaviour, the storks raised their wings in alarm. Marabou storks have heavy bills capable of inflicting serious damage on the snake.