Cobras

All 7 species of cobras on WAnimals

Each one has its own full profile. This group does not replace them: it brings them together.

Conservation status

Where they live

Recorded in 88 countries. The ones with the most species in the group:

Where to see them

Did you know…?

• It has a single white ring on its hood, rather than the spectacles of the Indian cobra.

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• Its hood carries a single ring with a central dot, like a monocle, as against the pair of rings joined by a line on the hood of the Indian cobra: it is the quickest way to tell them apart.

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• Some populations are able to spit venom as well as bite, an ability that varies geographically within the same species.

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• It sprays venom at the eyes from as far as 3 m, and can do so several times over.

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• It spits venom into the eyes from more than two metres with remarkable accuracy, aiming specifically at the face and following the movement of the aggressor's head.

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• It is the main cause of serious snakebites in several regions of southern Africa, above all because it enters rural homes at night following the rodents and bites people while they sleep.

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• It is identified with the asp of ancient Egypt and with the death of Cleopatra.

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Ecosystems