Reptiles · Squamata · Elapidae

Black-necked Spitting Cobra

Naja nigricollis

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The black-necked spitting cobra is a snake of the African savannah able to project its venom more than two metres, deliberately aiming at the eyes of an attacker. The venom is not dangerous on unbroken skin, but in the eyes it causes intense pain and can cause permanent blindness if it is not washed out at once.

Weight

8.8 kg on average

Size

1.2 m – 2.2 m

Lifespan

20 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Nocturnal

Active mainly at night.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

SavannaDesertGrasslandCarnivore Nocturnal Solitary Reptile Savanna Desert Grassland

43countries 54parks17same family

Fun facts

It does not spit at random: it aims for the eyes and adjusts its shot to follow the movement of the attacker's head, with an accuracy that experiments have measured at more than ninety per cent of hits at two metres.
Its fangs have the exit hole on the front face rather than at the tip, an anatomical redesign that turns the fang into a spray nozzle.
The ability to spit evolved independently at least three times among the African and Asian cobras, and a 2021 study linked it to the appearance of our own hominin ancestors in Africa.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (reptile)
Habitat & environment: Savannah, dry scrub, open woodland and farmland of sub-Saharan Africa
Sexual maturity: 3 years
Gestation / incubation: 90 days of incubation
Litter / clutch size: 15 eggs

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naja_nigricollis