Naja melanoleuca
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
The forest cobra (Naja melanoleuca), also commonly called the black cobra and the black and white-lipped cobra, is a species of highly venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is native to Africa, mostly the central and western parts of the continent. It is the largest true cobra species with a record length of 3.2 metres (10 feet 6 inches).
Although it prefers lowland forest and moist savanna habitats, this cobra is highly adaptable and can be found in drier climates within its geographical range. It is a very capable swimmer and is often considered to be semi-aquatic. The forest cobra is a generalist in its feeding habits, having a highly varied diet: anything from large insects to small mammals and other reptiles. This species is alert, nervous and is considered to be a medically significant snake. When cornered or molested, it will assume the typical cobra warning posture by raising its fore body off the ground, spreading a narrow hood, and hissing loudly. Bites to humans are less common than from other African cobras due to various factors, though a bite from this species is a life-threatening emergency.
The forest cobra is classified in... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lagos | 🇳🇬 Nigeria |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Johannesburg Zoo | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | ABQ BioPark Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Adelaide Zoo | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Cango Wildlife Ranch | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | AgouaLand | 🇧🇯 Benin |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Forest Cobra sighting in Lagos on a given day, based on 26 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 2nd most-seen of the 8 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February and April–May
In those months about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Forest Cobra in Lagos on a given day, against under 5% in July and August, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Forest Cobra sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Lagos, in our data
Lagos is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Forest Cobra sightings: about 40% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Forest Cobra is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Lagos (26 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
