#hemachatus

[herpsandbirds]

Rinkhals aka Ring-necked Spitting Cobra (Hemachatus haemachatus), family Elapidae, Long Tom Pass, South Africa

Venomous.

photograph by Tyrone Ping

[exotic-venom]

(Hemachatus haemachatus) rinkhals

This snake has a few tricks up its sleeve. If shooting streams of venom at the eyes of potential threats is an ineffective deterrent, the rinkhals will play dead before finally biting as a last string defense.

[herpskeepers]

Herp of the day: Rinkhals

Rinkhals, or the Ring Necked Spitting Cobra (Hemachatus haemachatus) is a venomous snake species from Africa.

Although it looks similar to a cobra, they are not, these spitting snakes can spray its venom up to 2.5 m. Its spitting mechanism is primitive and it has to rear up and fling its body forward to spray its venom. 

It is also known to fake death by rolling onto its back with its mouth agape. The rinkhals has a varied diet, its main prey is toads, but it also eats small mammals, amphibians, and other reptiles.

[herpsandbirds]

Ring-necked Spitting Cobra aka Rinkhals (Hemachatus haemachatus), family Elapidae, Grahamstown, South Africa

Venomous.

photograph by Tyrone James Ping

[exotic-venom]

(Hemachatus haemachatus) rinkhals

This snake’s venom is a neuro/cytotoxic cocktail that is typically shot directly into the eyes. This Elapid is a “false cobra”, as it does not belong to the genus, Naja, and is known to play dead.

[snakedotpng]

Rinkhals (Hemachatus haemachatus) Photo by Elizabeth Grieb

[snakedotpng]

Rinkhals (Hemachatus haemachatus) Photo by Jamie Barichivich

[snakedotpng]

Rinkhals (Hemachatus haemachatus) Photo by Tiaan Steynberg