The two predators clashed in the undergrowth before spilling out in front of passing drivers in Nakhon Si Thammarat, southern Thailand.
The python wrapped its thick body around the cobra, trying to constrict it, and then sank its fangs into its opponent’s neck, as seen in incredible images.
Anoochit Preecha, a bystander, watched as the two reptiles struggled to assert dominance while twisted in the fierce duel.
He said: ‘One was fighting for its life, and one was satisfying its hunger. I’m lucky to have witnessed such a rare event.’
Pythons kill their prey by strangling them, whereas cobras inject deadly venom at the base of their target’s neck.
On this occasion, the cobra was able to hold out long enough for the python’s deadly venom to weaken it and cause it to lose its grip. It then died slowly before being swallowed whole by the cobra.
Cannibalism is practiced by some snakes, including pythons and cobras, when they fight over food or territory.
Earlier this month, a python and a king cobra were seen fighting for their lives in southern Thailand.
Anoochit Preecha spotted the fierce duel in Nakhon Si Thammarat on December 9 after stumbling across the snakes on the roadside
The two predators had started fighting while partially hidden in the plant matter by the side of the road.
Before long though, their dramatic battle had tumbled out onto the side of the road, for any motorist passing by to witness
The python initially gained the upper hand by wrapping itself around the body of the black king cobra and attempting to squeeze it to death
However, the cobra responded by sinking its fangs into the neck of the larger snake and letting its venom go to work
The battle had started with the two snakes partially concealed by shrubbery and plant matter by the side of the road
With the python’s intense grip on the cobra, the smaller snake had little option but to wait for its venom to take effect
For a while, the cobra’s struggle seemed to be in vain, with the two large snakes tangled together
Eventually, though, the cobra’s venom took effect and loosened the python’s grip around its body
At first, it seemed as though the black king cobra was doomed, as the python established an early dominance in the battle
