Cobra
Temporal range: Miocene-Holocene
Caspian cobra, Naja oxiana hooding in a defensive posture
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Phylum:
Subphylum:
Class:
Order:
Suborder:
Family:
Naja nivea in a dark brown and yellow speckled pattern, not sufficiently aroused to display its hood

Cobra is the common name of various elapid snakes, most of which belonging to the genus Naja, all of which are venomous and many of which are capable of rearing upwards and producing a hood when threatened.[Note 1] All members of the genus Naja, the "true" cobras, rear and produce obvious hoods, though not all have equally broad hoods. Other "cobra" genera and species are as follows:

The following species are not in the genus Naja but are hooding, venomous members of the family Elapidae:

The false water cobra, Hydrodynastes gigas, is the only "cobra" which is not a member of the Elapidae. It does not rear, produces only a slight flattening of the neck, and is only mildly venomous.


Notes

edit
  1. ^ Two non-venomous species of snake, the hognosed snake and the striped keelback, also rear and produce hoods but are not considered "cobras"; likewise, some venomous elapid snakes such as the black mamba also are capable of producing hoods but are not called "cobras".

References

edit