Cobra is the common name of various

snake Snakes are elongated, limbless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales. Many species of snakes have skulls with several more j ...

s, most of which belong to the genus ''

Naja ''Naja'' is a genus of venomous elapid snakes commonly known as cobras (or "true cobras"). Members of the genus ''Naja'' are the most widespread and the most widely recognized as "true" cobras. Various species occur in regions throughout Afric ...

''.

Biology

All of the known cobras are venomous and many are capable of rearing upwards and producing a hood when threatened.Two kinds of non-venomous snake, the hognose snakes and the

striped keelback The striped keelback (''Xenochrophis vittatus'') is a species of colubrid snake native to Indonesia. It has also been introduced to Singapore and Puerto Rico. Description The striped keelback is a medium sized snake, with females growing to ab ...

, also rear upwards and produce hoods but are not considered "cobras"; likewise, some venomous elapid snakes, such as the black mamba, are also capable of producing hoods but are not called "cobras".

Other snakes known as "cobras"

While the members of the genus ''Naja'' constitute the true cobras, the name ''cobra'' is also applied to these other genera and species: * The

rinkhals The rinkhals (; ''Hemachatus haemachatus''), also known as the ringhals or ring-necked spitting cobra, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is found in parts of southern Africa. It is not a true cobra in that it do ...

, ringhals or ring-necked spitting cobra (''Hemachatus haemachatus'') so-called for its neck band as well as its habit of rearing upwards and producing a hood when threatened * The king cobra or hamadryad (''Ophiophagus hannah'') * The two species of tree cobras, Goldie's tree cobra (''

Pseudohaje goldii Goldie's tree cobra (''Pseudohaje goldii''), also (in error) known as Gold's tree cobra, is a species of Venomous snake, venomous tree cobra (''Pseudohaje'' means "false cobra") Endemism, endemic to Central Africa, Central and Western Africa. Thi ...

'') and the black tree cobra (''

Pseudohaje nigra The black tree cobra (''Pseudohaje nigra'') is a species of venomous tree cobra found in central and western Africa. This species is one of the two tree cobras in Africa, the other being Goldie's tree cobra (''Pseudohaje goldii''). Distribution ...

'') * The two species of shield-nosed cobras, the Cape coral snake (''

Aspidelaps lubricus ''Aspidelaps lubricus'', commonly known as the Cape coral snake or the Cape coral cobra, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is endemic to southern Africa. Geographic range and habitat ''A. lubricus'' is found in r ...

'') and the

shield-nosed cobra The shield-nosed cobra (''Aspidelaps scutatus'') is a venomous snake in the family Elapidae. It is found in South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Eswatini and Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country ...

(''Aspidelaps scutatus'') * The two species of black desert cobras or desert black snakes, ''

Walterinnesia aegyptia ''Walterinnesia aegyptia'', also known as the desert cobra or desert black snake, is a species of venomous snakes in the family Elapidae that is native to the Middle East. The specific epithet ''aegyptia'' (“of Egypt”) refers to part of its ...

'' and ''Walterinnesia morgani'', neither of which rears upwards and produces a hood when threatened * The eastern coral snake or American cobra (''

Micrurus fulvius ''Micrurus fulvius'', commonly known as the eastern coral snake, Behler John L.; King, F. Wayne (1979). ''The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians''. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 743 pp., 657 color plates. LCCCN 7 ...

''), which also does not rear upwards and produce a hood when threatened The false water cobra (''

Hydrodynastes gigas ''Hydrodynastes gigas'' is a New World species of large, rear-fanged, Dipsadidae snake endemic to South America. It is commonly and alternatively known as the false water cobra and the Brazilian smooth snake.Warrell DA (2004). "Snakebites in C ...

'') is the only "cobra" species that is not a member of the Elapidae. It does not rear upwards, produces only a slight flattening of the neck when threatened, and is only mildly venomous.

References

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