Cobra Snake

Introduction

Cobra (snake), name for a group of venomous snakes known for their hooded threat display and dangerous bites. Cobras are found in Africa and Asia, and they have held a special place in human culture from ancient Egypt to modern India. About 30 species of snakes are commonly called cobras, including the king cobra (the world’s largest poisonous snake) and varieties that can “spit” venom. The name cobra comes from a Portuguese word for “snake” (short for cobra de capello “snake with a hood”).

Cobras belong to the same snake family (Elapidae) as coral snakes and mambas Not all types of snakes popularly called cobras may be directly related to the same ancestors. Rearing up to display a flattened neck that forms a hood and spraying venom are abilities that apparently evolved more than once in different members of the elapid family of snakes.
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Habitat and Range

The different species of cobra live in habitats ranging from tropical rain forests and swamps to savannas and deserts. Because many cobra species prey on small rodents, the snakes may hunt or live in areas around human settlements or in fields where crops grow—both places where rodents thrive.

Cobras are found in most parts of Africa except for the Sahara Desert. Their range extends through the Middle East, Central Asia, South Asia and into Southeast Asia as far as Indonesia and the Philippines, and into southern China.