A small African elapid of dry savanna and rocky scrub, marked with stark light-and-dark bars that resemble zebra stripes on the throat.
Description
The zebra spitting cobra is a slim elapid usually 1.2 to 1.5 m long, with bright cream or pinkish base colour broken by sharp dark crossbars from head to tail. The hood is narrow, and when threatened the snake rears the front of the body and may spit venom toward the eyes of the threat.
Behavior
Active mostly at night, the species hunts rodents and lizards in rocky and sandy habitat, and shelters by day in cracks and old burrows. Its venom is primarily cytotoxic and causes severe tissue damage at the bite site, with painful eye injuries if the venom strikes mucous membranes.
Range
Restricted to the dry interior of southern Africa, especially Namibia, southern Angola, and parts of northwestern South Africa. The species was for many years lumped with the black-necked spitting cobra and was elevated to species status only recently.
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