Central African Forest Cobra

DESCRIPTION:

The Central African Forest Cobra is large cobra with adults reaching 260 cm. The body is relatively slender, becoming thickset with age. Head brown, the supralabials barred black and yellow, chin yellow. Black above, sometimes a yellow monocellate marking on the hood, or 1–3 small yellow blotches, the dorsal scales may be tipped with white in juvenile. Yellow or white below with 4 to 6 black bands on the first 100 ventrals, usually uniform black thereafter.

HABITS & HABITAT:

The Central African Forest Cobra is found in dense forest and may enter agricultural areas. Forest cobras are mostly active during the day, but can be active at night.. Forest cobras are terrestrial (groundliving) but climb well and spend a lot of time in trees, up to10 meters above ground. Forest cobras are generally good swimmers..It is an alert and agile species of cobra. If cornered or molested will rear up spreading a hood, sometimes quite high, and it may rush forward and make a determined effort to bite.

DISTRIBUTION:

With a distribution covering Ghana, Togo and Benin, this species may be found in neighbouring Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso. Also found in Nigeria, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Republic of Congo (Brazzaville), Democratic Republic of the Congo (Kinshasa) (Zaire), N Angola, Rwanda, Republic of South Sudan (RSS).

VENOM:

The venom of the Central African Forest Cobra is primarily neurotoxic, and bites result in severe neurotoxicity; Deaths from respiratory failure due to severe neurotoxicity have been reported, but most victims will survive if prompt administration of antivenom is undertaken; The cytotoxic components of the venom may cause progressive swelling and tissue damage.

SYMPTOMS:

The bite is relatively painless, but death from paralysis of the diaphram effecting breathing may be rapid; Nausea and vomiting; Tachycardia; Ptosis; Drowsiness; Limb paralysis; Hearing loss; Inability to speak; Dizziness; Ataxia (poor muscle control); Shock; Hypotension; Abdominal pain; Fever; Pallor (pale appearance); Other neurological and respiratory symptoms.

FIRST AID:

Do not use traditional remedies; Keep calm; Apply pressure bandage if possible; Remove restrictive clothing or jewellery (rings, bangles, watch, shoe); Immediately proceed to a  medical facility that keeps antivenom.

ANTIVENOM:

No specific antivenom produced as bites are rare, but EchiTAb-Plus-ICP polyvalent antivenom might neutralize some of the venom components.