Reptiles · Squamata · Elapidae

Egyptian Cobra

Naja haje

Least Concern

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

The Egyptian cobra is one of the largest snakes in Africa and one of the most laden with symbolism in history: it is the uraeus, the rearing cobra that crowns the foreheads of the pharaohs as an emblem of royalty and divine protection. It is nocturnal, shelters in ruins and burrows and hunts toads, birds and other snakes.

Weight

6.8 kg on average

Size

1.4 m – 2.5 m

Lifespan

25 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

SavannaDesertGrasslandCarnivore Nocturnal Solitary Reptile Savanna Desert Grassland

68countries 36parks17same family

Fun facts

GeneralIt is identified with the asp of Ancient Egypt and with the death of Cleopatra.
It is the uraeus of Ancient Egypt: the rearing cobra that crowns the foreheads of the pharaohs, symbol of the goddess Wadjet and of the protection of royalty, present on funerary masks and crowns for three millennia.
Tradition attributes the death of Cleopatra to an Egyptian cobra, although modern historians dispute both the method and the species: an asp two and a half metres long would be hard to smuggle in inside a basket of figs.
It is one of the snakes routinely used by charmers in North Africa, who take advantage of its tendency to rear up and spread its hood in response to movement.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (reptile)
Habitat & environment: Dry savannah, semi-desert, farmland, oases and ruins of northern and eastern Africa and Arabia
Sexual maturity: 3 years
Gestation / incubation: 60 days of incubation
Litter / clutch size: 18 eggs

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