Cape Cobra
Naja nivea
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassSquamata
- FamilyElapidae (Elapid Snakes)
- GenusNaja (Cobras)
- SpeciesNaja nivea (Cape Cobra)
The Cape cobra (Naja nivea), also called the yellow cobra, is a moderate-sized, highly venomous species of cobra inhabiting a wide variety of biomes across southern Africa, including arid savanna, fynbos, bushveld, desert, and semidesert regions. The species is diurnal and is a feeding generalist, preying on a number of different species and carrion. Predators of this species include birds of prey, honey badgers, and various species of mongooses. The Cape cobra is also known as the geelslang (yellow snake) and bruinkapel (brown cobra) in South Africa. Afrikaans-speaking South Africans also refer to the Cape cobra as koperkapel (copper cobra), mainly because of a rich yellow colour variation. This species has no known subspecies. Wikipedia →
20–30% of wildlife watchers report a Cape Cobra sighting in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, based on 45 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Namib-Naukluft National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 5 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Cape Cobra in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park?
About 29% of wildlife watchers report a Cape Cobra sighting in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, based on 45 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Cape Cobra in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park?
April has the highest sighting rate for Cape Cobra in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in our monthly data.