A highly-venomous cobra snake was captured by residents in a populous barangay in Antipolo City on Tuesday, Dec. 28, the local government said.

In a series of photos posted on the official Facebook page of Executive Assistant to the Mayor Jun Ynares, a Philippine Cobra was caught by residents of Barangay Muntindilaw Tuesday morning.

Ynares said that after the safe capture by the residents, officials from the City Veterinary Office were immediately deployed for the snake's transfer to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) for venom extraction.

The venom extraction is the procedure used to collect venom and poison from different venomous and poisonous species of animals for the creation of anti-venom potion and for other medical purposes.

The Philippine Cobra or Naja Philippinensis was described by American herpetologist Edward Harrison Taylor in 1922. The generic name naja is a Latinisation of the Sanskrit word nāgá meaning "cobra," and the specific epithet philippinensis is Latin and literally means "from the Philippine Islands."

The snake is mostly found in the northern regions of the country. They can be found on the islands of Luzon, Mindoro, Catanduanes, Azria and Masbate.

The Philippine Cobra's habitat include low-lying plains and forested regions, along with open fields, grasslands, dense jungle, agricultural fields, and human settlements. This species of cobra is particularly fond of water, so it can be found very close to ponds, rivers, or large puddles of water.

According to scientific studies, the venom of the Philippine Cobra is a potent postsynaptic neurotoxin which affects respiratory function and can cause neurotoxicity and respiratory paralysis, as the neurotoxins interrupt the transmission of nerve signals by binding to the neuromuscular junctions near the muscles. Research has shown its venom is purely a neurotoxin, with no apparent necrotizing components and no cardiotoxins.

These snakes are also capable of accurately spitting their venom at a target up to 3 meters (9.8 ft) away.

The symptoms of a bite might include headache, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, dizziness, and difficulty in breathing.

The local government said that this kind of cobra is tagged as a near-extinction specie due to the rapid decline of its population. It has also expressed its gratitude to the residents of the barangay for safely capturing the snake.