Egyptian cobra

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Egyptian cobra
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Elapidae
Genus:	Naja
Species:	N. haje
Binomial name
Naja haje (Linnaeus, 1758)[1]
Distribution of the Egyptian Cobra

The Egyptian cobra (Naja haje) is a venomous snake found in Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.

Description

The Egyptian cobra may grow to 5'-8'(1.5-2m) in length and specimens as long as 8' have been seen in some areas. The most recognizable characteristics of an Egyptian cobra are its head and hood. The head is large and depressed with a broad snout. The cobra's eyes are large with a round pupil. Its neck may range from 15-18 cm wide. The colour is variable, but most specimens are some shade of brown, often with lighter or darker mottling, and often a "tear-drop" mark below the eye. Specimens from northwestern Africa (Morocco, Western Sahara) are almost entirely black.

Habitat

The Egyptian cobra typically makes its home in dry to moist savanna and semi-desert regions with at least some water and vegetation (never in desert regions). The cobra may also be found in oases, agricultural grounds, hills with sparse vegetation, and grasslands. These cobras do also occur in the presence of humans and often enter houses. They are attracted to the human villages by chickens and rats that are attracted by garbage. There are also reports of Egyptian cobras swimming in the Mediterranean sea.

Behavior

The Egyptian cobra is terrestrial and nocturnal in the wild, though in captivity they seem to tend towards diurnality^[2]. It can, however, be seen basking in the sun at times in the early morning. It shows a preference for a permanent home in abandoned animal burrows, termite mounds or rock outcrops and the like, sometimes entering human habitations to hunt domestic fowl. It will generally attempt to escape when approached, at least for a few meters, but if threatened it assumes the typical upright posture with the hood expanded. This snake preys on small mammals, lizards, toads, and other snakes, including the puff adder and the Cape Cobra.

Venom

The average venom quantity typically reaches 175 to 200 mg in a single bite. It has the fourth most toxic venom of any cobra, after the Chinese Cobra (" Naja Atra") Philippine Cobra (Naja philippinensis) and the Cape Cobra. It has neurotoxic venom which affects the nervous system, stopping the nerve signals from being transmitted to the muscles and at later stages stopping those transmitted to the heart and lungs as well, causing death due to complete respiratory failure. Envenomation causes local pain, severe swelling, bruising, blistering, necrosis and variable non-specific effects which may include headache, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, dizziness, collapse or convulsions along with possible moderate to severe flaccid paralysis. This species does not spit venom.^[3]

Taxonomy

The species name haje is the transliteration of Arabic حية which is the word for snake or viper. The snouted cobra (Naja annulifera) and Anchieta's cobra (Naja anchietae) were formerly regarded as subspecies of Naja haje, but have since been shown to be distinct species ^[4][5]. The Arabian populations were long recognised as a separate subspecies, Naja haje arabica, and the black populations from Morocco sometimes as Naja haje legionis. A recent study^[6] found that the Arabian cobra constitutes a separate species, Naja arabica, whereas the subspecies legionis was synonymised with N. haje. The same study also identified the West African savanna populations as a separate species and described it as Naja senegalensis.

Geographical Range

The Egyptian Cobra ranges across most of North Africa north of the Sahara, across the savannas of West Africa to the south of the Sahara, south to the Congo basin and east to Kenya and Tanzania, and in southern parts of the Arabian Peninsula.^[7]

Myths

Most ancient sources say that Cleopatra committed suicide by being bitten by an aspis, which translates into English as "asp." Plutarch tells us that she did experiments on condemned prisoners and found aspis venom to be the most painless of all fatal poisons.^[8] Today it is generally believed that this "aspis" was the Naja haje (Egyptian cobra).

A stylised Egyptian Cobra, representing the goddess Wadjet, was the symbol of sovereignty of the pharaohs, and therefore it is also called Uraeus serpent.

As a pet

The Egyptian cobra garnered increased attention in Canada in the fall of 2006 when a pet cobra became loose and forced the evacuation of a house in Toronto^[9] for more than six months when it was believed to have sought refuge in the home's walls. The owner was fined $17,000 and sentenced to jail^[10].

References

External links

Wikispecies has information related to: Naja haje

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