Anchieta's Cobra

Anchieta's cobra is found across parts of Angola, Zambia, Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe, occupying a broad range of savanna and woodland habitats in south-central Africa. It belongs to the group of large, non-spitting African cobras related to the forest cobra and Egyptian cobra.

It is a venomous elapid of considerable size, and while not as frequently studied as some other African cobras, it is regarded as medically significant given its potent venom and substantial size.

• Adults typically 1.4-2.2 m; a large, robust cobra.
• Coloration usually brown, olive, or grayish, sometimes with faint banding, and a paler belly.
• Smooth scales, round pupils, capable of forming a broad hood.
• Distinguished from related species primarily by its geographic range in south-central Africa and its large adult size.

Occupies savanna, dry woodland, and semi-arid scrubland across Angola, Zambia, Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe, often near water sources and sheltering in burrows, termite mounds, or rock crevices.

Primarily nocturnal or crepuscular. Defends itself by rearing up and spreading a broad hood, relying on biting rather than spitting venom. Feeds on a broad diet of rodents, birds, amphibians, and other reptiles. It is oviparous, laying clutches of around 15-25 eggs.