Don’t tell my parents, they’d think that I am in danger any time I go to a wildlife photo trip in Africa! Here is one of the encounters done one the rough tracks of the Moremi National Park (Botswana).
Cobra du Cap
Don’t be fooled; The protruding tongue is no trouble for you. On the contrary, remember the specifics of this snake: The cobra is able to spit its venom right in the eyes of its victim/prey (By the way, I had just found a scientific paper describing how a researcher determined how such a snake can aim so precisely into the moving eyes of its prey, mostly by intelligent anticipation and selection of the right moment: How spitting cobras shoot for the eyes).
Here, I believe that it was a Cape Cobra (also known as yellow cobra), but if an expert can confirm the identification or correct my amateur opinion, feel free to tell.
Cape Cobra (Naja nivea), Cobra du Cap.
Moremi National Park, Botswana. May 2010.
PS: Oh yes! I forgot to tell that I was in a car and using a long tele lens (400mm focal length). And the snake was real big!
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