A black-necked African cobra that defends itself by spraying venom from modified fangs straight at the eyes of a threat.
Description
The black-necked spitting cobra is a long, slim elapid usually 1.2 to 1.8 m, with sandy tan, olive, or black ground colour and a contrasting darker throat. The hood is narrow compared with that of an Indian or Egyptian cobra, and the fangs have small forward-facing holes for spraying venom.
Behavior
When threatened, the snake rears the front of the body, spreads a narrow hood, and ejects two jets of venom toward the eyes of the threat, accurate to about 2 m. The venom is cytotoxic and causes intense pain and possible permanent eye damage if not flushed out immediately.
Range
Distributed widely across sub-Saharan Africa from Senegal east to Somalia and south to northern South Africa. Other spitting cobra species occupy similar niches across Africa and South Asia.
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