Naja kaouthia

(Lesson, 1831)

Vernacular names
English : Monocled cobra
French : Cobra à monocle

Classification
Class : Reptilia
Order : Squamata
Family : Elapidae
Notes : No subspecies known.

Identification
Adults can grow to 2.30 meters in length but are more usually around 1.50 m long. Coloration variable, from beige to brown or nearly black, sometimes with cross-bands. Distinctive O-shaped marking on the dorsal side of the hood.

Range and habitat
The species occurs in South-East Asia, from Bangladesh, eastern Nepal and nearby south China to central Vietnam, south to extreme north Peninsular Malaysia. Lives in grasslands, forests, mangroves, cultivated areas and cities, to 1000 m.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : LEAST CONCERN
CITES : Appendix II
Status : The species has a wide range and remains one of the commonest cobras within its range but its populations are declining because of overexploitation.
Ex-Situ Programs : None known

Observation

 

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