Smitten by snakes: And the Oscar goes to… Rinkhals

(Rian has been working with reptiles for 22 years, and is always available for relocations, reptile-related help, or just to chat snakes.)

In the final throes of death, he falls down, twists slowly onto his back, eyes staring blankly at you, wriggles and jerks in controlled, calculated movements, and lies head sideways. Death has claimed its victim, open-mouthed and tongue out. The perfect example of a dead snake, or is it? Carefully roll him back onto his belly, and the show repeats in fine splendor that would rival the best Hollywood actor.

But beware… This is the final resort of the Rinkhals, or Ring Necked Cobra, when molested, cornered or under threat without escape, and it can and will miraculously “come back to life”. First they rear up, showing the two to three black and white bands on the throat, and the majestic hood that makes them appear bigger than what they are, and then as they lunge forward, they can spray venom at you with sharpshooter accuracy, biting if the opportunity arises in their defense manouvres.

A medium sized snake that reaches 90 cm on average, but can attain lengths of over 1.2m, they are well built with a head distinct from the body. A sharp nose, and scales over the eyes that resemble eyebrows, they come in a variety of colors from pitch black, brown, grey, orange, mustard and even yellow. Banded varieties in all the colors are often seen. Colours vary from area to area, and certain colour varieties can only be found in certain areas. They are often confused with the Mozambican Spitting Cobra and the Snouted Cobra, even though the Rinkhals is not a true cobra at all, as it has disctinct differences to true cobras, such as keeled scales instead of smooth. Rinkhals also give birth to live young, where true cobras lay eggs. Anatomical differences also separate them. Snouted cobras are usually a brown to yellowish color, and have a single band on the yellow throat that fades with age, and the Mozambican Spitting Cobra is usually a reddish color on the top, and salmon pink below with one to two black bands.

Although their venom is diluted for spitting ability, their venom is still a life-threatening neurotoxin that attacks nerves, heart, and lungs. Prompt hospitalisation, and monitoring is essential in a bite from a Rinkhals.

They are fairly open in their diet as adults and will eat frogs, toads, and rodents. This usually brings them into the areas where people have built ponds and water features, and they are quick to adapt to suburban life. Young usually prefer an amphibian diet. They are often found in moister habitats, and hunt for food from early morning through to nearly mid-day, when it gets too hot, and they go into hiding from the heat. In winter, unlike some snakes, they can often be found out after 11am, sunning themselves. They spread their hood while lying flat to maximise heat absorption from the sun, like a solar panel, and can maintain body temps of around 32 degrees in winter.

When encountered they will rear up to intimidate their attacker or surpriser. At this point you should be carefully moving away from the snake. They can spit their venom up to around 3.5m, so keep your distance, keep an eye on the snake, and call for a qualified or trained person to capture and relocate the snake. If given the opportunity they will quickly duck to the closest hole, or place to hide, instead of confrontation. Dangerous, yes; brilliant actors, yes. But, they have a vital role in the control of amphibians and rodents, and are deserving of the Oscar called ‘Life in their service to man’. Left alone, all snakes, including the Rinkhals, will move away as quickly as they can instead of attacking anything or anyone.

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