Rinkhals | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Squamata |
Suborder: | Serpentes |
Family: | Elapidae |
Genus: | Hemachatus Fleming, 1822 |
Species: | H. haemachatus
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Binomial name | |
Hemachatus haemachatus (Bonnaterre, 1790)
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Extant (resident)
Possibly extinct
Presence Uncertain & Origin Uncertain
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Synonyms | |
The rinkhals (/ˈrɪŋk(h)æls/; Hemachatus haemachatus), also known as the ringhals /ˈrɪŋhæls/[4] or ring-necked spitting cobra,[5] is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is found in parts of southern Africa.[1][3] It is not a true cobra in that it does not belong to the genus Naja, but instead belongs to the monotypic genus Hemachatus. While rinkhals bear a great resemblance to true cobras they also possess some remarkable differences from these, resulting in their placement outside the genus Naja.[6] In 2023, the Zimbabwe population was described as a new species, H. nyangensis.[7]
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