第 0036 號，共 1 402 號

Rinkhals

Hemachatus haemachatus

需要看醫生很少致命，但被咬了或毒液噴進眼睛，需要看醫生。

噴射或吐出吃：肉

The rinkhals is a venomous snake that lives in southern Africa. It is often called the ring-necked spitting cobra, but it is not a true cobra. It is known for spitting venom at threats rather than relying on its bite.1

分布在

Southern Africa: South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini, with an isolated Zimbabwe population that may be extinct1

非洲

首頁

It prefers grasslands, from the coast up to altitudes of 2,000 m. It is extremely common on the Highveld and in the grasslands of KwaZulu-Natal. Because it eats frogs and toads, it is often found near wetlands.1

長度

90 cm 到 1,1 m (3 ft 到 3,6 ft)1

最高速度

大約 6,9 km/h（4,3 mph）

在陸地上, 粗略估計

牠吃什麼？

It hunts during the daytime and will prey on any vertebrate small enough to eat. Toads are its most common food in the wild, but it also eats rodents and small lizards.1

Rinkhals 的照片 — Rinkhals。照片：ProfbergerLee R. Berger。 CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons.

怎麼認出牠

Its belly is dark, with one or two light-coloured crossbands on the throat.1
Its usual total length, including the tail, is 90 to 110 cm.1
Colour varies. Some individuals are mostly black, while others are striped.1
When distressed, it spreads its hood to show a striped neck.1
Its dorsal scales are keeled, which means they have a ridge down the middle.1

常被誤認為： It closely resembles true cobras, which belong to the genus Naja. Its keeled dorsal scales and the lack of solid teeth on the maxilla (upper jaw bone) set it apart, and these differences are why it is placed in its own genus, Hemachatus.1

毒液力量

噴射或吐出

牠會對攻擊者噴出或吐出刺痛的液體。

牠的毒液有什麼作用？

Its venom is neurotoxic, meaning it attacks the nerves, and partially cytotoxic, meaning it destroys body tissue. A bite causes great pain and can lead to necrosis (death of tissue). General symptoms include drowsiness, nausea, vomiting, violent abdominal pain, cramps and vertigo, and local swelling and bruising occur in about a quarter of cases.1

牠對人有多危險？

對人的危險: 嚴重被咬了或毒液噴進眼睛，需要看醫生。死亡案例非常罕見。

Bites are rare, because the snake relies on other defences first. Most bites happen when people try to handle it. No fatality from a rinkhals bite has been recorded in over 40 years.1

好消息：醫生有藥（抗毒血清）或治療方法。1

牠害怕時會做什麼？

When threatened, it spreads its hood, hisses and lunges while spitting venom accurately up to 3 m, usually aiming at the face and eyes. If other defences fail, it may bite, and it can also roll over with its mouth open and tongue out.1

如果牠咬人或噴毒液

Polyvalent antivenom is effective for treating rinkhals envenomation. If venom gets into the eyes, it causes great pain and inflammation, and corneal damage can occur if left untreated. Timely first aid and eye-washing will usually lead to recovery after a few days.1
讓傷者保持不動和冷靜，取下戒指和緊身的東西，並趕快送醫院：抗毒血清就是治療方法。
如果毒液噴進眼睛，立刻用大量乾淨的水沖洗眼睛。

一定要先打緊急電話（112、000、911）。這是一般急救指引，不是醫療建議。急救基本知識

注意安全

絕對不要碰、抓或捉弄野生動物，就算是很小的動物，就算牠看起來在睡覺或已經死了也一樣。
給牠空間。如果遇到了，保持冷靜，慢慢往後退，讓牠自己離開。
如果被牠咬了，或毒液噴進你的眼睛：保持冷靜，保持不動，打緊急電話（112、000、911）或趕快去醫院。記住牠的樣子，有照片會很有幫助。

牠不是想來抓你。牠用毒液來捕捉食物或保護自己，而且牠更想躲起來。更多安全知識

在世界上的哪裡？

非洲亞洲歐洲北美洲南美洲澳洲與大洋洲

牠有多大？

牠有多長？

跟 2 隻家貓從鼻子接到尾巴一樣長跟 6 根香蕉頭尾相接一樣長可以在 52 秒內跑完 100 公尺（最快的人類需要 9.6 秒）

Rinkhals 跟「你」比起來有多大？

只是在你的瀏覽器裡做算術。什麼都不會儲存，也不會傳送到任何地方。

牠有多快？

一個正在走路的人 大約 5 km/h (3,1 mph)

Rinkhals 大約 6,9 km/h (4,3 mph)

騎腳踏車的小朋友 大約 12 km/h (7,5 mph)

值得知道

小知識

When threatened, it can play dead by rolling onto its back with its mouth open and tongue out. This behaviour, called thanatosis, is also seen in some other snakes.1

It can spit venom accurately at targets up to 3 m away and has good control over its venom glands.1

Unlike true cobras, which lay eggs, it gives birth to live young.1

It is not a true cobra. It belongs to its own genus, Hemachatus, which has only one species.1

破解迷思

迷思： The rinkhals is a true cobra.

真相： It bears a great resemblance to true cobras, but it belongs to the genus Hemachatus rather than Naja, so it is not a true cobra.1

給毒液專家

學名: Hemachatus haemachatus
類群: 眼鏡蛇、曼巴蛇和環蛇
家人: Elapidae2
排序: Squamata
各大洲: 非洲
寶寶: It gives birth to live young rather than laying eggs. A litter usually has around 20 to 30 young, though some females give birth to over 60, typically in late summer (December to March in the southern hemisphere).1
對人的危險: 3 / 5: 嚴重3