The sneaky snake that can spit and play dead
This week, Snake Rescue's Nick Evans features the Rinkhals - a highly venomous snake which has a sneaky habit of playing dead.
This species is found in the Western and Eastern Cape, northeast through the Free State, Lesotho, Transkei, KwaZulu-Natal, Western Swaziland, Mpumalanga and parts of Gauteng.
"While they can spit and it comes in your direction, it is not like a Mozambique Spitting Cobra. A Mozambique Spitting Cobra, if you were within three metres of it (especially an adult) and it wants to hit you in your eye because you're approaching it, it will get you in your eyes and around your face. They are very accurate spitting snakes. The Rinkhals is not like that at all," Nick explains.
Although this snake does not spit as accurately as the Mozambique Spitting Cobra, Nick does warn that you do not go near it.
Listen as Nick shares more interesting information about this snake in the latest Snake Rescue Extra podcast.
Nick's organisation, KwaZulu-Natal Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, is a chapter of The Lawrence Anthony Earth Organisation.
Contact Nick on 072 809 5806 for information about snake removals. Email him if you'd like to find out about his educational talks.
Find past episodes from Snake Rescue below.
IMAGE CREDIT: Nick Evans