New viper Cobra snake found in Somaliland

It remains unclear how the new species of the Egyptian Cobra snake come to Somaliland. However, the Egyptian cobra is one of the largest cobras of the African continent.

By Jamal Ibrahim, jamal@alleastafrica.com

HARGEISA – A new species of snake thought to be an Egyptian Cobra has been found in a remote area of the breakaway northern Somalia republic of Somaliland, residents say.

The discovery of the 1.2m yellow-colored deadly snake in Faraweyne, a village 60km west of Hargeisa, Somaliland’s capital on Wednesday is described as the first species of its kind to have ever found in Somaliland.

Ali Ahmed Omar, a local farmer who found the snake in his farm recalled the ‘scary’ encounter as he came across the venomous snake coiled up in an open sunny ground, with round pupils under eyes .

“I got shocked and had my heart standstill when I came across this snake holding its head high, then run back to home to grab my telephone so that i could take photos of it.” he told a local radio station.

The Egyptian cobra is a terrestrial and crepuscular or nocturnal species often seen basking in the sun at times in the early morning.

It remains unclear how the new species of the Egyptian Cobra snake come to Somaliland. However, the Egyptian cobra is one of the largest cobras of the African continent.

Meanwhile, the news of the new snake finding has drawn a lot of debate and attention among locals, with some talking about the risk it could pose to both humans and animals.

The Egyptian Cobra usually found in Egypt is an active forager sometimes entering human habitations, especially when hunting domestic fowl. Like other cobra species, it generally attempts to escape when approached, at least for a few metres, but if threatened it assumes the typical upright posture with the hood expanded and strikes. This species prefers to eat toads, but it will prey on small mammals, birds, eggs, lizards and other snakes.