Mozambique Spitting Cobra

• GeneralIt sprays venom at the eyes from as far as 3 m, and can do so several times over.
• It spits venom into the eyes from more than two metres with remarkable accuracy, aiming specifically at the face and following the movement of the aggressor's head.
• It is the main cause of serious snakebites in several regions of southern Africa, above all because it enters rural homes at night following the rodents and bites people while they sleep.
• If spitting does not work, it plays dead: it writhes, rolls onto its back and lies with its mouth open and its tongue hanging out, a behaviour very few snakes use.

Skeleton type

Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (reptile)

Habitat and environment

Savannah, scrub, open woodland and inhabited areas of south-eastern Africa

Sexual maturity

3 years

Gestation / incubation

65 days of incubation

Litter / clutch size

12 eggs

Sources consulted: https://www.iucnredlist.org/ | https://animaldiversity.org/ | https://es.wikipedia.org/

The pins mark the parks where its presence is documented.