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476 Featured Specimen
Indian cobra

Details

Indian cobra

Naja naja

Size
Total length 1–2.2 m · 1–3 kg
Diet
Carnivore
Activity
Cathemeral
Sociality
Solitary
Lifespan
20–30 years

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.

Range

Habitat range map
Native range Occasional / Transient
IndomalayanIndomalayanIndomalayanIndomalayanIndomalayanIndomalayanIndomalayanIndomalayanIndomalayanIndomalayanIndomalayanIndomalayanIndomalayanIndomalayanIndomalayan

Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)

Details

Habitat

It inhabits Indomalayan grassland, forest, farmland, and urban edges. Rodent-rich settlements, water edges, and holes provide frequent shelter and food.

Appearance

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.

Behavior

Cathemeral and solitary, it raises the front body and spreads the hood when alarmed. The display warns before a bite.

Feeding

A carnivore, it eats rodents, frogs, lizards, and other snakes. Venom subdues prey before it is swallowed whole.

Reproduction

It lays eggs in holes or sheltered places. Hatchlings are venomous from the start and hunt small prey independently.

Notes

It is listed as Least Concern. It helps control rodents, but close contact with people makes snakebite prevention important.