Wildlife
Cobras in the genus Naja are found in Asia and Africa. They are highly venomous and each species injects a cocktail of chemicals that have all kinds of different effects. For example, the effect might be slowing or speeding the heart rate, raising or lowering blood pressure, or preventing blood from clotting. So, if bitten, it's important to know which species was the culprit, so the right anti-venom can be adminstered.
Scientific name: Naja
Rank: Genus
In order to see this content you need to have an up-to-date version of Flash installed and Javascript turned on.
Snake tactics
Snakes use their venom for both attack and defence.
One of Sir David Attenborough's most memerable experiences was a close encounter with a spitting cobra. Protected by a full face visor he quite literally put himself right in the firing line for this sequence. As the snake's welfare was as important as the crew's safety, a captive cobra used to being handled was filmed, though of course the risk posed by the venom was just as high.
Dangerous dancing feet
Peacocks use some fancy steps to attract mates and see off snakes.
Peacocks use some fancy steps to attract mates and see off snakes.
The shading illustrates the diversity of this group - the darker the colour the greater the number of species. Data provided by WWF's Wildfinder.
Monocled cobraNaja is a genus of venomous elapid snakes. Although several other genera share the common name, Naja species are the most recognized and most widespread group of snakes commonly known as cobras. The genus Naja consists of 20 to 22 species, but has undergone several taxonomic revisions in recent years, so sources vary greatly. They range throughout Africa, Southwest Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia.
This entry is from Wikipedia, the user-contributed encyclopedia. If you find the content in the 'About' section factually incorrect, defamatory or highly offensive you can edit this article at Wikipedia. For more information on our use of Wikipedia please read our FAQ.
Take a trip through the natural world with our themed collections of video clips from the natural history archive.
David Attenborough's favourite moments
Watch the most memorable moments from an incredible career watching wildlife, chosen by Sir David from the BBC archive.
BBC © 2012 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more.
This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.
