Details
Naja naja
The Indian cobra is a classic South Asian cobra that raises a hood in threat display. It lives in wild habitats and also around villages and farms.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It inhabits Indomalayan grassland, forest, farmland, and urban edges. Rodent-rich settlements, water edges, and holes provide frequent shelter and food.
Total length 100-220 cm; weight 1-3 kg. A slender body and expandable neck hood are distinctive, often with a spectacle-like mark on the rear of the hood. Color varies from brown to black.
Cathemeral and solitary, it raises the front body and spreads the hood when alarmed. The display warns before a bite.
A carnivore, it eats rodents, frogs, lizards, and other snakes. Venom subdues prey before it is swallowed whole.
It lays eggs in holes or sheltered places. Hatchlings are venomous from the start and hunt small prey independently.
It is listed as Least Concern. It helps control rodents, but close contact with people makes snakebite prevention important.
