Cape Cobra rescued from a car near Goodwood (2017-01-05)

I assisted Johann Roux from Tygerberg Snake Rescue with extracting a Cape Cobra from inside a car's chassis in Goodwood yesterday.

The snake put up quite a fight and refused to come out, but 4 hours later it was safe in the snake bin.

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Also known as a "Koperkapel" or "Geelslang" in Afrikaans, the Cape Cobra is a common venomous snake that can range in colour from yellow through reddish brown to black.

When threatened or cornered, Cape Cobras are quick to spread a hood and won't hesitate to bite. Their venom is highly neurotoxic (the most potent of any African cobra), attacking the nervous system and causing respiratory collapse (the victim stops breathing).

Cape Cobras feed on rodents, birds, lizards, toads, and other snakes.

Oviparous, they lay 8-20 eggs in mid-summer.

Find out more about this species here.