Goldie's tree cobra (''Pseudohaje goldii''), also (in error) known as Gold's tree cobra, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

venomous Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a sti ...

tree cobra (''Pseudohaje'' means "false cobra")

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

to Central and

Western Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Maurita ...

. This species is one of the two tree cobras in Africa, the other being the black tree cobra (''Pseudohaje nigra''). Goldie's tree cobra is one of the most venomous snakes and creatures in Africa.

Taxonomy

Belgian-British zoologist George Albert Boulenger described the species in 1895. Boulenger GA (1895). "On some new or little-known Reptiles obtained by W. H. Crosse, Esq., on the Niger". ''Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., Sixth Series'' 16: 32-34. (''Naia goldii'', new species, p. 34). The specific name, ''goldii'', is in honor of George Taubman Goldie, a Manx administrator in

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

.Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Pseudohaje goldii'', p. 103).

Description

Goldie's tree cobra is one of the largest venomous snakes in Africa, measuring in total length (including tail). The

dorsal Dorsal (from Latin ''dorsum'' ‘back’) may refer to: * Dorsal (anatomy), an anatomical term of location referring to the back or upper side of an organism or parts of an organism * Dorsal, positioned on top of an aircraft's fuselage * Dorsal c ...

body color of this species is glossy black. It has a cylindrical body with a long, spiky tail, which makes the snake more adaptable to

arboreal Arboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some animals may scale trees only occasionally, but others are exclusively arboreal. The habitats pose nu ...

life. The head is small with exceptionally large eyes, giving the snake excellent eyesight. There are usually 15 rows of

dorsal scales In snakes, the dorsal scales are the longitudinal series of plates that encircle the body, but do not include the ventral scales In snakes, the ventral scales or gastrosteges are the enlarged and transversely elongated scales that extend down t ...

at midbody, though there are rare specimens that have 17 rows.

Distribution and habitat

Goldie's tree cobra can be found in Central and Western equatorial African countries, including

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

, Republic of Congo,

Gabon Gabon (; ; snq, Ngabu), officially the Gabonese Republic (french: République gabonaise), is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the nort ...

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...

, and

Central African Republic The Central African Republic (CAR; ; , RCA; , or , ) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to the north, Sudan to the northeast, South Sudan to the southeast, the DR Congo to the south, the Republic of th ...

. ''P. goldii'' inhabits

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

s and

woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with trees, or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the ''plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade (se ...

s along

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of w ...

s and streams. Being an arboreal species, it is seldom found in open land.

Behavior

Despite its large size, Goldie's tree cobra is a highly agile snake. It is equally comfortable in trees, on ground and in water. It can move quickly and gracefully through trees with the aid of its spiky tail. It is also a very secretive snake which is rarely seen by people. However, it is one of the few snakes that are considered aggressive. When threatened, it rears up and spreads a typical cobra hood, though its hood is much narrower than that of ''

Naja naja The Indian cobra (''Naja naja''), also known as the spectacled cobra, Asian cobra, or binocellate cobra, is a species of cobra found in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bhutan, and a member of the "big four" species that are ...

''. If it is further provoked, the snake may attempt to bite. Though it cannot spit its venom, its bite is very potent and potentially lethal. It is reputedly ill-tempered. It may also use its tail spike to defend itself if restrained.

Venom

''Pseudohaje goldii'' venom is one of the most toxic and deadly of all African snakes. Venom of this species is primarily a neurotoxin, like most

Elapidae Elapidae (, commonly known as elapids ; grc, ἔλλοψ ''éllops'' "sea-fish") is a family of snakes characterized by their permanently erect fangs at the front of the mouth. Most elapids are venomous, with the exception of the genus Emydoce ...

. It is quick acting and extremely potent, easily killing a person. Moreover, there is no known specific

antivenom Antivenom, also known as antivenin, venom antiserum, and antivenom immunoglobulin, is a specific treatment for envenomation. It is composed of antibodies and used to treat certain venomous bites and stings. Antivenoms are recommended only if th ...

made. Bite symptoms include swelling and stinging pain around the bite wound, numbness of limbs and lip, severe difficulty in breathing, sweating profusely and blurred vision. Victims may die of respiratory failure. A number of people are killed by this species.

Diet

''Pseudohaje goldii'' mainly preys on amphibians and arboreal mammals, such as squirrels. It is also known to take

fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of ...

occasionally.

Reproduction

''Pseudohaje goldii'' is oviparous. The female will lay 10 to 20

eggs Humans and human ancestors have scavenged and eaten animal eggs for millions of years. Humans in Southeast Asia had domesticated chickens and harvested their eggs for food by 1,500 BCE. The most widely consumed eggs are those of fowl, especial ...

References

External links

''Pseudohaje goldii'' on www.afpmb.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:cobra, tree, Goldie's Goldie's tree cobra Reptiles of Central Africa Goldie's tree cobra