Mozambique Spitting Cobra

Mozambique Spitting Cobra   

The Mozambique spitting cobra(Naja mossambica) is a highly venomous species of spitting cobranative to Africa. It is largely found in Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

German naturalist Wilhelm Petersdescribed this species in1854.

In color, the snake is slate to blue, olive or tawny black above, with some or all scales having black edging.It is a highly venomous type of cobra that is so named because it projects venom from its fangs into its attacker’s eyes, which can cause vision problems or blindness. The venom from its bite can destroy local tissue like the puff adder. It can spit venom at a distance of 4 to 8 feet.As its name suggests, this cobra spits venom and can hit a target with deadly accuracy from two to three metres away. They are often considered one of the deadliest snakes in Africa.Their fangs are specifically designed for spitting venom. They have holes in the front of their fangs pointing forward that allows them to spit or spray venom at distances of up to 2 or 3 meters. They also have large venom glands that store a large quantity of venom.The Mozambique Spitting Cobra belongs to the Elapid family of snakes. This means that they are related to other Elapid species such as Death Adders, Copperheads, Mambas and Coral Snakes.The Mozambique Spitting Cobra is more famous for spitting venom, but they can and will bite and inject venom if they are threatened. The venom yield of this snake ranges from 80 to 200mg with the average being around 140mg.

The lethal dose for an adult human is only about 50mg so a single bite from one of these snakes contains enough venom to kill an adult. These snakes are also known to bite multiple times meaning even more venom can be injected.

Like the majority of elapid snakes, the Mozambique Spitting Cobras venom consists primarily of cytotoxins. Cytotoxic venom can cause extensive tissue damage and lead to necrosis if early treatment isnt administered.

Their venom also contains neurotoxins. If the snake spits venom in your eyes it can cause impaired vision and even blindness. Thanks to the development of anti-venom, fatalities from a Mozambique Spitting Cobra

The average length of adults is between 90 cm and 105 cm (3–3½ feet), but the largest specimen measured was a male 154 cm (5 feet) long in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

The snake is considered one of the most dangerous in Africa. 

The cobra's diet mainly consists of amphibians, other snakes, birds, eggs, small mammals, and occasionally even insects.

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