Black forest cobra

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• Adults are uniformly brownish black or black on the back, sometimes with faint, lighter markings.1
• Juveniles have much more pronounced light speckling or banded patterns than adults.1
• The throat is light, followed by 2 to 3 distinct dark bands on the belly. The rest of the underside is black.1
• The lips and underside of the head are cream, with black edges along the upper lip scales.1
• It has 17 midbody dorsal scale rows, and 203 to 221 ventral scales.1

Adesea confundat cu: It was long confused with the forest cobra (Naja melanoleuca). The black forest cobra usually has 17 midbody dorsal scale rows instead of 19, fewer dark belly bands, and a tendency to become darker with age.1