Birdies (one stroke under par), eagles (two strokes under par) and albatrosses (three strokes under par) are frequently heard on the golf course but the terms ‘cobra’ and ‘mongoose’ are less common.

Golfers at the Atlantic Beach Links, situated 700m from the beach in Melkbosstrand, Cape Town, were treated to a spectacular battle of wits between these species on Wednesday.

In a video posted on the golf course’s Facebook page, which has been viewed over 47 000 times, the venomous reptile and fearless mammal go head-to-head.

“Respecting and coexisting with nature, we stand back and watch in awe!” the caption reads.

Watch the battle:

Studies show that mongooses have a small genetic change in a part of their muscles that venom usually targets. This change makes it harder for the venom to attach and cause harm.

“The mongoose is resistant to snake neurotoxins. The mongoose muscle nicotinic acetylcholine receptor alpha-subunit contains a number of mutations in the ligand-binding domain and exhibits poor binding of alpha-bungarotoxin,” reads a post on the National Library of Medicine’s website.

While these traits help mongooses survive snake bites, they aren’t completely protected. Thus, too much venom or several bites can still make them very sick or even kill them.