Cobra Facts

About the cobra

Many Indian cobras carry a mark on the back of the hood: two round eyespots joined by a curved line, which looks like a pair of spectacles. That pattern gives the snake one of its other names, the spectacled cobra. Most adults measure 1 to 1.5 m (3.3 to 4.9 ft), and some from Sri Lanka grow past 2 m, though that is rare.

Coloring changes a lot across the range. The belly can be gray, yellow, tan, brown, reddish or black, and adults may show salt-and-pepper speckles on top. In southern Pakistan, young snakes are often gray while adults turn solid black above. This heavy-bodied cobra belongs to the 'Big Four,' the snakes behind the most bite cases in India and Sri Lanka. The name Naja traces back to the Sanskrit word for cobra.

Did you know?

• Carl Linnaeus first described the Indian cobra as a species in 1758.
• The species is protected under India's Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.
• The Indian cobra holds a revered place in Hindu mythology and culture.