Identifying the Mozambique spitting cobra.
The Mozambique spitting cobra could be mistaken for a black mamba by the layman. They are very similar in colour but the head shape is different. The black mamba has a very distinctive coffin shaped head, whereas the Mozambique spitting cobra has a rounder snout. Colouration on the Mozambican spitting cobra can vary from olive, through browns and slate grey. Look for the salmon or yellow underbelly and the black bars across the neck area.
Mozambique Spitting cobra at rest
Where will you find the Mozambique spitting cobra?
The Mozambique spitting cobra likes water and will be found in most of subsaharan Africa, from Kwazulu Natal through to the Mpumalanga Lowveld and Mozambique and even in Namibia. This is the most common cobra in the area.
Mozambican Spitting cobra defensive rear of hood
How dangerous is the Mozambique spitting cobra?
There is only one snake considered more dangerous than the Mozamique spitting cobra and that is the Mamba. The Snake will always try and avoid confrontation but when threatened is very aggressive. The snake is capable of spitting it’s venom and generally will spit before any physical attack. It’s bite causes local tissue destruction. The venom when spat into the eyes can cause blindness.
Mozambique spitting cobra hooded front view
What does the Mozambique spitting cobra eat?
This cobra’s diet mainly consists of amphibians, other snakes, birds, eggs, small mammals, and even insects occasionally.
Mozambique spitting cobra spitting
Other information.
The Mozambique spitting cobra is considered nervous and highly strung, but as in all things every snake is an individual. When they feel threatened they can rear as much as two thirds of their body. They spit in defense from the reared up position and spread hood. Venom can be spat 2 – 3 meters with great accuracy.
Mozambique spitting cobra open mouth
The spitting cobra does not often actually bite despite its aggressive behaviour, and also shares the same habit of feigning death to avoid further molestation.
The average length of adults is between approximately 1 meter but speciments up to 1,4 meters have been spotted.
The Mozambique spitting cobra will lay an average of 15 eggs, but up to 22 have been found, hatchlings measure approximately 24 cm.
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Tags: Mozmabique spitting cobra, wildlife photography
January 12th, 2009 at 7:08 pm
Could you please give me some info of how to treat a person with a bite from the mozambique spitting cobra and also how to keep it away from the house in Zwartkloof Private Game Reseve in Bela Bela, South Africa
Best Regards
Rus
January 26th, 2009 at 5:15 pm
Excellent . . . and very informative
February 18th, 2009 at 10:06 am
We had 2 children being bitten in 2 month’s time. Both snakes were identified as Moz Cobras. The children were asleep. Only possibility is that the snakes sailed into their beds sometime during the night. The girl was bitten on her finger and in the side of her abdomen – first limb of finger had to be amputated. Boy is still in hospital. He was bitten on his ankle. Doctors still don’t know if he will be able to keep his foot.
These guys don’t only spit. Both cases was in homesteads on farms in the Waterberg area near Naboomspruit. The girl’s bite was close to 11 at night and the boy’s at 5 in the morning, when his mother woke him for school
Marelizes last blog post..Ek het ‘n vakansie gewen ???
February 18th, 2009 at 10:14 am
May I use one of your photos of the Mozambique Cobra in a blog post please?
Marelizes last blog post..Ek het ‘n vakansie gewen ???
February 18th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
By all means, you may. as long as you attribute and link to the original site
February 18th, 2009 at 3:11 pm
[...] lyk die Mosambiekse Spoegkobra? Ek moes maar ‘n Google doen op daai een en het op ‘n blog met ‘n inskrywing oor die kobra gekry (Dankie aan Guy McLaren vir toestemming tot gebruik van die [...]
April 27th, 2009 at 10:24 am
Live in Lusaka Zambia, 1.3m Moz cobra cam into our yard and was attacked by our rotty who got spat at twice, dog now ok after repeated washing of eyes, snake unfortunatly died from dog bites and a rock.
August 24th, 2009 at 5:53 pm
A Mozambique spitting cobra can rear up to at least one-third of its length and so can easily spit into the eyes of most predators. The venom can cause severe damage and may even result in blindness.
October 22nd, 2009 at 11:40 am
Thanks for supplying such lovely photographs and information regarding these beautiful snakes. We had two (that we saw anyway) come through our garden and hang around for a while a couple of days ago. We live in Westville, Durban and our place borders the Palmiet Nature reserve, we think our neighbours disturbed them as they are busy chopping trees down. Louis from ‘Snakes of South Africa’ who have their page on facebook, confirmed that they were Mozambique Spitting Cobras and I managed to get some nice pics to send him too, but none with it’s hood up completely like your pics. Our cats were most interested but for the most part kept their distance. We estimated our two to be at least 2m in length, would that not be possible?
October 22nd, 2009 at 11:43 am
P.S. I forgot to mention that our two or more snakes are very much alive and well and hopefully still somewhere around our place. As long as they don’t harm us or our cats, they are welcome to stay, along with the mongooses, etc that visit us too
That’s the way it should be!
November 18th, 2009 at 6:02 pm
ya,i killed one today in the garden.Living in pinetown Kwa Zulu Natal and have just taken my cat to the vet becuase it spat in the cats eyes.Anything treatens my animals and i will take action.
January 3rd, 2010 at 8:51 pm
We stay at Donkerhoek (on mountain) and have lots of this type of cobra on the plot. They love sleeping under the dog’s box.
March 30th, 2010 at 7:42 am
I lost 2 of my dogs this past weekend, 1 Jack Russel and the other a FoX Terrier. They were both bitten by a mozambique-spitting cobra. I live in Westville, Pinetown (next to the New Germany Nature Reserve).The snake was identified by the snake keeper at the reserve as a female, between the ages of 16 – 25 years. she measured 2,3 meters in length. She killed both my dogs in our garage. These snakes don’t only spit, they bite to kill.