Rinkhals

The rinkhals (/ˈrɪŋk(h)æls/; Hemachatus haemachatus), also known as the ringhals /ˈrɪŋhæls/ or ring-necked spitting cobra, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is found in parts of southern Africa. 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. In 2023, the Zimbabwe population was described as a new species, H. nyangensis.