It was late afternoon with the warm highveld sun setting on the Pilanesberg National Park. Etienne and Annemarie Hamman, after an exhilarating day of game drives, were heading toward the park exit gates when they spotted a formidable scuffle on the road ahead.
“After a full day of spectacular sightings, which included an incredible sighting of a male leopard that we were fortunate enough to observe, we decided to head out of the Pilanesberg National Park. Little did we know that one more surprise awaited us,” Hamman told Latest Sightings.
A flap-necked chameleon rears up, tense, ready to defend against an approaching aggressor.
The chameleon's ability to blend into its environment proves futile as the juvenile boomslang zeroes in on its intended prey.
“That’s when we realised what was transpiring right before our eyes. On the opposite end of the road was a chameleon that was now locked in a staring contest with the snake,” said Hamman.
Boomslangs are venomous snakes, with juveniles often packing more of a punch than mature adults. They carry hemotoxic venom, which is able to destroy red blood cells, disrupt blood clotting and cause organ degeneration and generalised tissue damage.
Anticipating a strike from the snake, the chameleon rears up, standing its ground, front legs raised, ready to accept its fate but not going down without a fight.
The boomslang strikes left and right, the snake is too fast, and the chameleon is unable to parry the quick, venom-filled jabs. The serpent victor then moves off the road, back into the grass, watching as the venom takes effect.
“The boomslang then returned for a final inspection, once satisfied that his prey was going to surely succumb to the venom shortly. The snake returned to the cover of grass on the roadside and watched on,” Hamman recalled.
The chameleon, now limp, the hemotoxins working their way across its body, pulled itself across the road, seeking shelter in the thick shrubs, unaware that death knocks silently.
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