Naja savannula
Silhouette: V. Deepak · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~70% in a week >90%
The West African banded cobra (Naja savannula) is a species of cobra in the genus Naja that is found in West Africa. This species was previously thought to be identical to the forest cobra (Naja melanoleuca), but morphological and genetic differences have led to its recognition as a separate species. It differs from Naja melanoleuca and other forest cobras in having a series of 3–8 broad, semi-divided light bands across the anterior body.
Brownish black or black dorsally, with a series of 3–8 broad, cream-coloured crossbands, each partly divided by a narrow black crossband. Midbody dorsal scale rows 19, Ventrals 211–226, subcaudals 67–73. Maximum recorded length 223 cm
West Africa: primarily gallery forests in West African savannas and savanna woodlands; recorded from Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Niger, Nigeria, northern Cameroon and southern Chad. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Niokolo-Koba National Park | 🇸🇳 Senegal |
More parks will be added in future updates.
No species of the same family or order lives in Niokolo-Koba National Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other reptiles.
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a West African Banded Cobra sighting in Niokolo-Koba National Park on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May
In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a West African Banded Cobra in Niokolo-Koba National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January, the lowest month. That is one of Niokolo-Koba National Park's driest months, with about 15 mm of rain against 300 mm in August. July to October have too few records to rate.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most West African Banded Cobra sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Niokolo-Koba National Park, in our data
Niokolo-Koba National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate West African Banded 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 West African Banded Cobra is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Niokolo-Koba National Park (7 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
