Reptiles · Squamata · Elapidae

Mozambique Spitting Cobra

Naja mossambica

Least Concern

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

The Mozambique spitting cobra is one of the snakes of greatest medical importance in southern Africa, not for its lethality but for how often it causes accidents: it comes into houses at night looking for rodents and spits venom into the eyes with extraordinary accuracy, causing serious eye injuries.

Weight

8.8 kg on average

Size

90 cm – 1.5 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

SavannaTemperate forestGrasslandCarnivore Nocturnal Solitary Reptile Savanna Temperate forest Grassland

10countries 33parks17same family

Fun facts

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.