Cape cobra

Identification

The Cape cobra is one of four non-spitting cobras in southern Africa². Its colour varies a lot, from light or rich yellow to copper, brown or almost black, and it is often speckled with brown and orange^2,3. Young snakes have one or two dark bands across the throat². Like other cobras it has smooth scales¹², and when threatened it lifts its head and spreads a broad hood². It has short, fixed fangs at the front of the mouth and bites rather than spits².

Adults are usually about 1.2 m long^2,6, and the largest reach about 2.3 m⁴.

Distribution

The Cape cobra is found only in southern Africa². The Reptile Database lists it from central and southern Namibia, south-western Botswana, western South Africa and Lesotho¹. In South Africa it is widespread in the Western and Northern Cape and extends into the Eastern Cape, Free State, North West and western Gauteng².

Habitat

This cobra mainly lives in dry, open country, such as the sandy Karoo and Kalahari, grassland and fynbos². It also turns up in informal settlements and semi-urban areas^2,6, and it is often met in suburbs where rodents are plentiful⁵. It shelters in old termite mounds and rodent burrows⁶. In the Kalahari, radio-tracked females used home ranges of about 75 ha on average and males about 147 ha⁹.

Behaviour

The Cape cobra is usually active by day, but in very hot weather it switches to the twilight and early evening². It lives mainly on the ground but climbs into trees and shrubs to raid birds’ nests². Like most snakes it would rather flee than bite². When threatened it raises its head, spreads its hood and may hiss, and if the person stands still it will usually drop down and move away². If cornered or approached closely, it is quick to hood and will bite readily^3,5.

Diet

The Cape cobra is a generalist hunter^7,8. A review of 101 feeding records found that it eats mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, including many other snakes⁷. Rodents and birds are its staple food², and in the Kalahari it often hunts in the huge shared nests of sociable weavers, taking eggs and chicks^2,6. Unlike some other southern African cobras, its diet does not change much as it grows⁸.

Reproduction

The Cape cobra lays eggs¹. Mating usually takes place in September and October². In summer the female lays about 8 to 20 eggs in a burrow, an old termite mound or under a rock^2,6. The hatchlings are up to about 40 cm long and look after themselves from the start². Males grow as large as females⁸.

Venom and medical significance

The Cape cobra’s venom is strongly neurotoxic and acts fast^2,5. Early symptoms can include tingling of the lips, nausea, sweating, drooping eyelids and difficulty swallowing, followed by paralysis and breathing failure, and in severe cases victims can become unresponsive within an hour⁵. Together with the black mamba, it causes most of the fatal snakebites in South Africa³. The World Health Organization lists it among the snakes of highest medical importance (Category 1) in South Africa, Lesotho and Namibia¹⁰. South Africa’s SAVP polyvalent antivenom is made using Cape cobra venom, but its production has stalled in recent years, and an imported polyvalent antivenom (PANAF) is now also used¹¹. Anyone bitten should go to hospital immediately.

Conservation

The Cape cobra is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, in an assessment published in 2021¹⁴. It is one of the most common snakes around Karoo farms, where many farmers value it for controlling rodent pests².

Similar species

The harmless mole snake (Pseudaspis cana) is often mistaken for the Cape cobra^3,13. It is a muscular, black, brown or brick-red snake that spends much of its time in rodent burrows, and it is not venomous, although its bite can need stitches¹³. In the far west, the black spitting cobra (Naja nigricincta woodi) is a shiny, pitch-black cobra that can be confused with a dark Cape cobra, but it spits its venom, which the Cape cobra does not^2,12.

These differences are not a safe basis for handling any snake. Keep your distance from every snake you cannot identify.

In captivity

The Cape cobra is not suitable as a pet. Any bite from it is life-threatening and needs urgent medical care². Cape cobras can live a long time in captivity: one at San Diego Zoo lived for more than 15 years⁶.