Forest cobra

The forest cobra is classified in the genus Naja of the family Elapidae. Naja melanoleuca was first described by American herpetologist Edward Hallowell in 1857.[11] The generic name Naja is a Latinisation of the Sanskrit word nāgá (नाग) meaning "cobra".[12] The specific epithet melanoleuca is Ancient Greek and means "of black and white". The word melano is Greek for "black",[13] while leuca comes from the Ancient Greek word for "white".[14] This species is also known as the black cobra and black and white-lipped cobra.[4]

The genus Naja was first described by Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti in 1768.[15] The species of Naja melanoleuca was first described by Edward Hallowell in 1857.[3] The genus Naja was split into several subgenera based on various factors, including morphology, diet, and habitat. Naja melanoleuca is part of the subgenus Boulengerina, along with three other species: Naja annulata, Naja christyi, and Naja multifasciata. The subgenus is united by their restriction to central and west African forest and/or forest-edge type habitat. They are also more aquatic, preying more on aquatic animals, as well. The species within the subgenus Boulengerina show great diversity in size; from the forest cobra (Naja melanoleuca), which can attain lengths of nearly 2.7 metres (8.9 feet), to the burrowing cobra (Naja multifasciata), which usually doesn't grow larger than 0.8 metres (2.6 feet) in length.

The cladogram below illustrates the taxonomy and relationships among species of Naja:[16]

The population on São Tomé and Príncipe was recently described as a new species, Naja peroescobari,[17] and a recent study (based on a Multilocus genotype dataset and morphological analyses) suggests that N. melanoleuca is actually a group of five distinct species:[18]

• Naja melanoleuca Hallowell, 1857 - central African forests: Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Gabon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Angola.
• Naja subfulva Laurent, 1955 - forests and savanna woodlands in eastern, southern and central Africa: Chad, Nigeria, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Somalia, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Angola.
• Naja peroescobari Ceríaco et al. 2017 - São Tomé and Príncipe.
• Naja guineensis Broadley et al. in Wüster et al. 2018 - Upper Guinea forests, West Africa: Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo.
• Naja savannula Broadley et al. in Wüster et al. 2018 - Savanna regions of West Africa: Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Mali, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroon.

The forest cobra is Africa's largest cobra of the genus Naja[8] and possibly the largest of all the true cobra (Naja) species in the world.[7][19] The length of an average adult is 1.4 to 2.2 m (4.6 to 7.2 ft), and they regularly attain lengths of 2.7 m (8.9 ft),[8][20] and lengths up to 3.2 m (10 ft) have been recorded in the wild.[21][6] The mean body mass of the species in one survey, which did not exclude juvenile cobras per se, was reported at a mean of 509.5 g (1.123 lb) while large, mature forest cobras are known to obtain weights of up to 2,000 to 3,600 g (4.4 to 7.9 lb).[20][22][23][24] Males and females grow to be similar in length, as there is no sexual dimorphism within this species.[25] The head of this snake is large, broad, flattened and is slightly distinct from the neck. It is a slightly depressed, tapered and moderately thick bodied snake with a slender tail that is medium in length. The body is compressed dorsoventrally (where the dorsal upper scales and the ventral lower scales meet at either side of the body) and sub-cylindrical posteriorly (the tail end of the body). The forest cobra has long cervical ribs capable of expansion to form a long, wedge shaped hood when threatened. The angle between the crown of the head and the side of the head between the eye, also known as the canthus, is distinct, while the snout is rounded. Its eyes are large with round pupils.[20] Females have larger heads than males, although the reason for this dimorphism is not clear. A study showed that females eat the same prey as males, so head size does not reflect a difference in diet.[26]

The forest cobra occurs mainly in central Africa.[4] It has been recorded from Benin, Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, Gabon, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, and northern Angola.[35]

A snake of forest or woodland, it is the only one of Africa's cobras that will live in high forest.[36] The forest cobras are snakes that are well adapted to many environments and the habitat of the forest cobra is strongly dependent on what part of its African range the snake originates from. Forest cobras originating in the southern African regions are typically found in savanna and grassland, but they can also be found in broken rock country. They are mainly found in the tropical and subtropical rainforest regions of west and central Africa.[5] It also inhabits mangroves in western Africa. The banded form of forest cobra in west Africa lives in savanna and grassland (but usually along streams) and well-vegetated areas, especially riverine forest, up to latitude 14 N. The species' preferred habitat are lowland forest and moist savanna where it favors coastal thickets.[27] This snake seems to be highly adaptable and will readily move into drier areas if it can. In western Kenya, the forest cobra has been found in wide stretched grassland areas.[36] The population of forest cobras in Uganda are almost always found close to water. The brown colour phase occurs in coastal and high altitude forest, woodland and thicket, and grassland areas (i.e. Nyanga, Zimbabwe). Due to its secretive habits, and fondness for living in holes, it often persists in quite well-inhabited areas, common in and around many central African towns, even long after most vegetation has gone. They are also found on fruit plantations where they live in the trees. It occurs through a wide altitude range, from sea-level to forested mountains at 2,800 metres (9,200 feet) above sea level.[36]

The forest cobra is an agile, diurnal species that climbs well and is one of the most aquatic of the true cobras of the genus Naja.[8] It is terrestrial, but it is a fast, graceful climber, known to ascend trees to a height of 10 m (33 ft) or more. It is quick moving and alert. It swims well and readily takes to the water; in some areas its main diet is fish and could be regarded as semi-aquatic. Although it is active mostly during the day (diurnal) in uninhabited areas, it can also be active by night (nocturnal) where it goes into urban areas. When not active, it takes cover in holes, brush piles, hollow logs, among root clusters or in rock crevices, or in abandoned termite mounds at forest fringe or clearings. In certain areas, it hides along river banks, in overhanging root systems or bird holes, and in urban areas will hide in junk piles or unused buildings. When agitated, it rears up to a considerable height and spreads a long, narrow hood. It can strike quickly, to quite a long distance, and if molested and cornered, it will rush forward and make a determined effort to bite. It is an alert and agile species of cobra.[33] Some authorities believe it is one of the most dangerous African snakes to be kept as many captive forest cobras are described to be particularly aggressive when handled.[8][9] This species is not able to "spit" its venom.[27]

Reproduction

A young forest cobra

This is an oviparous species.[8] In the summer, females will lay between 11 and 26 smooth white eggs, each roughly 3 to 6 cm (1.2 to 2.4 in). The eggs stick together in a bunch.[27] The eggs are laid in hollow trees, termite mounds, holes in the ground or females will make their own nests. Before mating, a pair of will "dance", raising their heads a foot or more off the ground and moving to and fro. This may continue for an hour before mating takes place, when the male presses his cloaca (the chamber into which the reproductive, urinary, and intestinal canals empty) against that of the female. Female forest cobras may stand guard and are irritable and aggressive during the breeding period. A female is liable to attack without provocation, with potentially fatal consequences for passersby if her nest is near a footpath.[7] Hatchlings are born completely independent and are usually 22 to 25 cm (8.7 to 9.8 in) in length,[20] although some sources claim that hatchlings may measure up to 47 cm (19 in)[27] Incubation period is anywhere from 55 to 70 days (or over 80 days in one captive study[37]) at temperatures of 27–30 °C (81–86 °F). These snakes are known to have a long lifespan. One captive specimen lived for 28 years, which was the record for the longest lived venomous snake in captivity,[36] but another specimen held at the Melbourne Zoo in Australia turned 35 on 1 September 2014.[26]

• Immediate First Aid for bites by Forest cobra (Naja melanoleuca)
• Clinical Toxinology Resource
• Forest cobra (N. melanoleuca) Archived 24 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine

Media related to Naja melanoleuca at Wikimedia Commons