Reptiles · Squamata · Elapidae

Monocled Cobra

Naja kaouthia

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The monocled cobra owes its name to the pattern on its hood: a single ring with a central dot, unlike the pair of rings of the Indian cobra. It is very abundant in the rice fields and farmland of South-East Asia, where it hunts rodents, and it is responsible for a large share of the snakebite incidents in Thailand and Vietnam.

Weight

3.1 kg on average

Size

1.3 m – 2.3 m

Lifespan

20 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Nocturnal

Active mainly at night.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

RainforestFreshwaterGrasslandCarnivore Nocturnal Solitary Reptile Rainforest Freshwater Grassland

17countries 20parks17same family

Fun facts

GeneralIt has a single white ring on its hood, rather than the spectacles of the Indian cobra.
Its hood carries a single ring with a central dot, like a monocle, as against the pair of rings joined by a line drawn by the Indian cobra: it is the quickest way to tell them apart.
Some populations are able to spit venom as well as bite, an ability that varies geographically within the same species.
It thrives in rice fields by following the rodents, and that overlap with the most densely populated farmland of South-East Asia explains its record of snakebites.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (reptile)
Habitat & environment: Rice fields, wetlands, grassland and farmland of South-East Asia and eastern India
Sexual maturity: 3 years
Gestation / incubation: 60 days of incubation
Litter / clutch size: 25 eggs

Sources consulted: https://www.iucnredlist.org/ | https://animaldiversity.org/ | https://es.wikipedia.org/