Forest Cobra (Naja melanoleuca)

Forest cobras are one of the biggest among the cobra species, In keeping them as a pet can we categorize them in the same group as taipans, mambas and king cobras which are also large Elapid snakes. Forest cobras are big and fast snakes that can move quick on land in the water and in the trees. People that want to keep this species need a lot of experience with larger Elapid snakes.

Length: Adult animals have a average length of 150-200 cm but can grow up to 300 cm or more.

Zoological discription:

            Forest cobras are big snakes. The head is big but quit small and is clearly distinct from the body. Forest cobras vary strongly in colour. The animals from Southern Africa are brown to brownish grey. The forest cobras from Western Africa are banded while most of the other forest cobras are uniform black. The ventral side is always yellowish or crèmes white in colour with sometimes a few dark spots. The ventral colour of the forest cobra is also seen on the bottom jaw and the body from the snake in a sort of lines or stripes. The head is black or yellowish brown. The scales are smooth and shiny.

Scalation:

-         Dorsal scales on the midbody 19-21

-         Ventral scales 201-214

-         Subcaudal scale is paired

-         Subcaudal scales 63-72

-         Analplate is single

-         Upper labials 7, sometimes 8

-         Upper labials to the eye 3 + 4

-         Preoculairs 1, sometimes 2

-         Postoculairs 3, but can also be 2

-         Lower labials 8

-         Temporal 1+2/1+3 varying

Subspecies:

The various colour phases of the forest cobras have been described as subspecies by some authorities and these may be valid but further research is needed to prove this. The scientific names given to these subspecies are Naja melanoleuca melanoleuca, Naja melanoleuca aurata, Naja melanoleuca subvulva.

Distribution range:

Forest cobras have a wide range were they occur, they occur in forests and sub-Saharan Africa . De black phase of the forest cobra is found from Sierra Leone, east to west Kenya, South to North Angola, Kasai, Zaire, but does also occur in isolated forests of the Imatong Mountains in Sudan, Mount Kenya, the forests of Ethiopia and the Nyambeni hills in Kenya. The Brown phase of the forest cobra occurs in Somalia , South along the coastal plains through Kenya and Tanzania . We can also find the brown phase Malawi , North and the East coast of South Africa , Mozambique , North Zambia , Zaire , and the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe. The banded phase of the forest cobra occurs on the West African savannah from Gambia to Nigeria .

Habitat:

The habitat of the forest cobras is strongly dependent from were the animal originally comes from. The snakes of Southern  Africa can be found on the savannah and grasslands, but also life in rocky areas. Other specimens life more along the coast. Forest cobra are also found on a regular base on the fruit plantations where they life in the trees. The population of forest cobras in Uganda are found mostly close to water. In Kenya are forest cobras found in wide stretched grasslands, but in Western Africa do they also life in the mangroves. Forest cobras are snakes that are well adapted to many environments and are found from sea level till the dense mountain forests up to 2800 metres. 

Behaviour in captivity:

Forest cobras are snakes that we can see as a intelligent snake species. The animals will show you that they exactly know what you are planning to do, if this is feeding or cleaning there cage. As for mambas, forest cobras will follow everything that movies in and around there enclosure, and we can even say that they could recognize there keeper in compare to other people. Many stories are know about forest cobras that are kept by one owner for years and were very pleasant and friendly animals, than when they moved to a other keeper they turn on and are aggressive snakes that chase there new owner with open mouth ready to bite. Forest cobras are also quick learning animals that know after a short period were the keeper opens there cage, to have a look out side or even go in a quick attack. Forest cobras are also know for keeping the record of a the oldest snake in captivity with a age of 28 years.

Feeding:

Forest cobras are snakes that eat almost everything, and it also looks like they think they can eat everything. True the time I kept many forest cobras, wild catch and captive bred all of them will eat everything. I feed my forest cobras a wide range of food like, mice, rats, chicks, fish and chicken eggs, dead and alive. Also my wild caught forest cobra took from the beginning dead defrosted mice without any problem and this while many other wild caught snake species can give big problems to get them to eat.

Breeding with forest cobras:

When providing an off space and fed on a good and regular base are in my opinion forest cobras the easiest Elapids to breed with. Just like all species of the Naja complex are forest cobras oviparous and lay eggs with a average clutch size of 11 – 15 (max.28) big white eggs. Every egg measures a size of a proximally 44 – 62 mm by 22 – 35 mm. The hatchlings are 26 – 40 cm in length.

Forest cobras don’t really need a hibernation period, but like to have a sort of wet period which I provide from the end of November till the middle of February. In mean time I also play with the temperature of the enclosures which I think that this stimulate there mating behaviour. After the eggs are laid, I put them in a dry incubator on a temperature of   27 - 30⁰C, the veggs will hatch after 55 – 70 days. I keep the humidity level on about 70 – 80 % by spraying the eggs every now and than.

The enclosure:

Forest cobras are big and active snakes that ask quit allot of space to move around. I keep my forest cobras in enclosures of 150 X 70 X 70 cm. I also provide them with brunches and plastic plants so the snakes can clime in to them. In every enclosure is a hidebox which the animals use at night. Forest cobras are snakes that like to take a bath so I also provide them with a large water bowl which they use quit often.

The temperature in the enclosure is kept on temperatures between 25⁰C - 32⁰C depending on the spot in the cage. To keep this temperature are two light bulbs in use (40 and 60 watt). The humidity level is kept true the day between 60 – 80% but this also depending on the time of the day. As a substrate I use a mixture of potting soil, sand and coco bark. This mixture is a wonderful in absorbing faeces or water.

The cage can be opened by two windows in sliding rails, these 6 mm glass windows can be closed by a lock.  

Copyright©2002 Richard Mastenbroek

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This page is not build to stimulate people to keep venomous snakes. All Captive information given on this page is based on own experience