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Egyptian Cobra

Egyptian cobras are large, extremely venomous species of cobra snakes native to Africa. They are only second to the forest cobras in terms of size. The species is terrestrial and nocturnal. In terms of venom toxicity, they are second most among the cobras.

Scientific Classification
Quick Information

Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Chordata
Class	Reptilia
Order	Squamata
Suborder	Serpentes
Family	Elapidae
Genus	Naja
Scientific Name	Naja haje

Other Names	African Banded Cobra, Banded Cobra, Brown Cobra, Arabian Cobra
Length	1 – 2 m; largest specimen recorded is nearly 3m
Weight	Up to 20 lb
Color	Varied colorations; most members are various shades of brown often with darker or lighter spots and below the eye often contains a “tear –drop” mark; some specimens are copper-red or gray-brown while some other specimens are black; creamy white, grayish, blue gray, yellow brown, dark brown or black ventral side often with dark patches
Distribution	North Africa, across the savannas of West Africa, the south of the Sahara, Congo basin, Tanzania, Kenya, southern parts of the Arabian Peninsula
Habitat	Steppes, moist to dry savannas, arid semi-desert regions with some vegetation and water, agricultural fields, scrub vegetation
Diet	Toads, birds, eggs, small mammals, lizards, other snakes
Predators	Mongoose, ratel, birds of prey especially secretary bird
Venom Fact	Venom consists of neurotoxins and cytotoxins
Mode of Reproduction	Oviparous (egg laying)
Clutch Size	8 to 33 eggs
Incubation Period	48 to 70 days
Average Lifespan	20 to 30 years
IUCN Conservation Status	Least Concern