Hooded malpolon
The false cobra (Malpolon moilensis ), or hooded malpolon, is an opisthoglyphous snake found in parts of Africa and the Middle East. The name "false cobra" comes from the fact that while it is not a cobra, it imitates a cobra's stance by spreading its neck into a hood and hissing like the cobra. It can grow up to 1.5 metres in length and preys on rodents and lizards, while it itself falls prey to the Great grey shrike.
Oviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
Precocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
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starts withAdults are usually 0.8 – 1.4 m in length, but some specimens have reached about 1.9 m. They have big round eyes, reddish in colour. One distinctive feature that the snake has is a black blotch which runs from the cheek to the angle of the jaw.
It generally has a straw coloured background checkered with brownish spots running along the body. The belly surface is usually creme.
When threatened, Malpolon moilensis will imitate a cobra's stance by spreading its neck into a hood and hissing like the cobra.
In the wild, it mainly feeds on rodents, fledgling birds, and lizards. Captives accept mice (pre-killed, frozen, and live)
