"Can't Be Normal": Cobra Perched in Tree With Hood Raised in Wild Stuns Viewers (Video)

• A video of a cobra raising its hood while draped across tree branches in an arid bushveld setting stunned viewers online
• Facebook user Shyam_govindsar shared the footage on 18 August 2026, and it quickly drew thousands of reactions
• Viewers debated whether the footage was real, with many shocked to see the snake so comfortably off the ground

A video posted on 18 August 2026 by Facebook user Shyam_govindsar stopped people mid-scroll. The clip showed a cobra, hood fully flared in a classic defensive display, draped casually across the branches of a tree in what appeared to be dry, scrubby bushveld terrain.

Most people expect to find cobras on the ground. Seeing one coiled and balanced in a tree, seemingly unbothered, was enough to send the comments section into a frenzy.

The footage by Shyam_govindsar carries an almost documentary-like quality. There are no captions or text overlays, just the snake and the surrounding bush, which makes the scene feel all the more raw and unscripted. The cobra's hood was spread, a warning signal the reptile uses when it feels cornered or threatened, suggesting something or someone nearby had caught its attention.

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While cobras are not known as tree-dwelling snakes by nature, they are capable climbers and will move into elevated positions when hunting or escaping danger. The sight of one doing so with such apparent ease was what made the clip so hard to ignore. Watch the cobra perched in the tree with its hood raised:

Mzansi reacts tree top Cobra

Viewers across Africa were equal parts fascinated and rattled by what they saw:

Tefo Monnanyana asked:

"Is it normal for a cobra to climb a tree?"

Kotokoto Mokgala joked:

"What will happen if you become close 😄"

Sibusiso Marsh pointed out:

"I won't read all the comments, but I know someone somewhere in the comments said it's a black mamba even when he or she saw the flat neck 🚮"

Esmenia Menia wrote:

"This is what I call defying gravity 👌🤣🤣"

Robin Singh was impressed:

"They don't call them kings for nothing, they earn it, king cobra 🐍"

Baba-Joe Mlagha Kasikilika could not quite believe what he was seeing:

"Tell me that it's AI otherwise cobra in the tree."

Other Briefly News stories about snakes

• A Cape Town snake handler expertly relocated a black spitting cobra while establishing an unexpected bond with the creature.
• People were moved by a South African woman who lost her life following a Cape cobra bite, emphasising the critical lessons from the event.
• A Cape Cobra in Montagu, Western Cape, was filmed surprising wildlife viewers by playing dead, a tactic typically associated with other snake species.

Source: Briefly News