Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Folks, this snake was killed two days ago in Pretoria, South Africa. The person wishes to know if it is a baby Cape Cobra as he suspects.

PLEASE e-mail him directly at: pierre(dot)barnard(at)arivia(dot)co(dot)za

(replace the parentheses with the periods or at signs).

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Bonnie Keller
VA Reptile Rescue
www.vareptilerescue.org

2nd photo

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Bonnie Keller
VA Reptile Rescue
www.vareptilerescue.org

Looks like a red-lipped or Herald snake, but hard to tell from those pictures.

Hello.
Yes it looks like a Baby Cape Cobra.
The juveniles have a black throat band.
Regards Hans

or snouted juvie
or baby cape

Looks like a young N. annulifera to me, but without a close-up of the head, it's hard to be 100% sure. From the maps I have seen, the Cape cobra (Naja nivea) does not actually occur in the Pretoria area - the distribution stops some way SW of the city.

It is definitely neither a spitting cobra (N. mossambica occurs in the area) nor a rinkhals nor a Crotaphopeltis.

Cheers,

Wolfgang
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WW

WW Home

The policy at the snake rescue/removal service I'm involved with is absolutely no identification of dead snakes. Callers are politely instructed to call back next time they see a snake on their property, and we will gladly remove and identify the live animal at no cost. We also explain that a large percentage of snake bites happen when people approach the animal to try to kill it. Nobody gets bitten when they use the telephone instead of a shovel. This is safer for everyone concerned, and of course much more humane for the snakes.

Please don't encourage snake killers by rewarding their bad behavior. Teach them to react in a safer and more humane manner next time that will benefit them as well as the snakes. If there is no local expert that can catch the snakes, it is still safer to use nonviolent long distance capture and removal methods than it is to try to kill the snake. A hurt and frightened snake will fight desperately for its life. A snake swept gently into a garbage bin with the soft end of a broom or frightened off with a hose doesn't fight back nearly as hard, and is very likely not to fight at all.

Feel free to use any of the material on the website linked here to help educate people about safely and humanely dealing with nuisance venomous snakes on their property.

TT
Snake Getters

The snake is indeed a Snouted cobra (Naja annulifera annulifera), common around Pretoria. The Cape Cobra does not occur there.
Sean Thomas