On Saturday night the 07/04/12 at about 21:30pm I was called out to the LNG jetty located in Soyo Northern Angola in the mouth of the Congo River to capture a large black snake which was lying across the grid walk way of the jetty. As I approached the dark snake, I knew immediately that it was a Forest cobra Naja melanoleuca but it had already seen me and I only just managed to grab it's tail as it slipped out of my hands and dropped +-20m into the river below. I only just got a glimpse of this snakes markings and coloration and can't express the disappointment I felt as I thought I had lost this beautiful specimen to the Congo. The jetty was well illuminated and could clearly see the cobra swimming bellow almost teasing me to jump in after her but to my surprise she raised her body up out of the water and within seconds climbed up a ladder bellow the jetty. She had obviously been swimming in the river for some time and was keen to get onto “terra firma” so I stood waiting very still at the top of the ladder for this beauty to come to me and this time was not going to let her get away. I managed to catch her on a platform at the top of the jetty ladder. I was in disbelieve of just how pretty she was and that I had got a second chance to catch her after she had already escaped into the Congo river. I can honestly say without a doubt that out of all the Forest cobras I have seen in collections and the numerous I have captured in the wild both in Northern Zulu land as well as in Northern Angola that this specimen if by far the most beautiful. As you can see the normal yellow/white of the forest cobra colour is replaced by a beautiful caramel/ orange and this specimen also has a monocle like shape on the back of the hood reminiscent of an Asian Naja kaouthia or N. atra. I will call her my Caramel Monocellate Forest Cobra!
The location of the capture on LNG jetty in Soyo Angola
Note the almost hart shaped pattern on the back of the neck
This girl is just full of surprises as I have never observed a Forest cobra to shame death just like a Naja annulifera or a Rinkhals
What an impressive cobra!
It was a very memorable capture and a privilege to have worked with her
Regards
Warren Klein HH