Photo by @mattiasklumofficial for @natgeo. The forest cobra is native to the central and western parts of Africa. It is the largest true cobra species with a length up to 3.1 meters (10.1 feet). (I have also photographed the King Cobra on many occasions and it grows much bigger but is the sole member of its own genus ). Please go to @mattiasklumofficial to see an extreme close-up of the King Cobra! The forest cobra, like the King Cobra, is a very capable swimmer and is often considered to be semi-aquatic. My team and I searched in lowland forests and really moist savanna habitats for this beautiful species during an assignment in Cameroon and eventually got lucky! It's really a fast snake and it has a reputation of being extra alert and sometimes nervous. That, and because of the strong venom, is likely why it is considered very dangerous. Bites to humans are less common than for other African cobras due to various factors, though a bite from the forest cobra is a life-threatening emergency. Ironically it is the lethal characteristics of snake venom that makes it so valuable and sought after for use in medicinal treatments. The toxic components of snake venom have for example both led to the development of medicine against heart disease, diabetes and Alzheimer's. With a bit of luck, the Forest cobra may soon combat heart disease and this will luckily not affect the wild populations of this species at all. #science #medicine #cobra #africa #forestcobra #cameroon #venom #fast #conservation #rainforest #mattiasklum @natgeocreative @natgeo @bigworldsmallplanet @thephotosociety
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