Naja
''Naja'' is a genus of venomous elapid snakes commonly known as cobras (or "true cobras"). Various species occur throughout Africa, Southwest Asia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. Several other elapid species are often called "cobras", such as the king cobra and the rinkhals, but they are not "true cobras", in that they do not belong to the genus ''Naja''. Until recently, the genus ''Naja'' had 20 to 22 species, but it has undergone several Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic revisions in recent years, so sources vary greatly. Wide support exists, though, for a 2009 revision that synonymised the genera ''Boulengerina'' and ''Paranaja multifasciata, Paranaja'' with ''Naja''. According to that revision, the genus ''Naja'' now includes 38 species. Etymology The origin of the Genus, generic name, ''Naja'', is from the Sanskrit ''nāga'' (with a hard "g") meaning "snake". Some hold that the Sanskrit word is Cognate (etymology), cognate with English "snake", Germanic: ''*snēk-a-'', Pr ...
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