Cobras are venomous snakes known for their ability to expand their neck ribs into a hood when threatened. They are found in southern Africa, throughout southern Asia, and on islands of Southeast Asia. Snake charmers often use cobras, frightening them into their defensive posture. Cobras sway in response to movement and music, though charmers know how to avoid strikes and may remove the snake’s fangs. Cobra venom contains neurotoxins that attack the nervous system, primarily affecting small vertebrates and other snakes. Bites from larger cobras can be fatal, depending on the amount of venom injected. Antivenin is effective if administered quickly. King cobras, the largest venomous snakes, mainly prey on other snakes and can grow up to 5.6 meters (18 feet) long. Indian cobras, also called spectacled cobras, are frequently found in India. Their venom is dangerous, and they are often associated with snake charmers.

Where are cobras commonly found in the world?

Cobras are found in diverse regions across the world.

How can you recognize a cobra?

Cobras are venomous snakes recognized by their ability to expand their neck ribs into a hood. King cobras can be distinguished from other cobras by the presence of 11 large scales on the crown of their head. Indian cobras, also called spectacled cobras, have a hood with a black mark outlined in white that resembles two eyes connected by a curved line. Forest cobras can raise a third or more of their body in a threat display, and one or two black bands can be seen at the front of the neck when they expand their narrow hood. When threatened, cobras lift the front part of their body, spread their hood, and hiss.

Why do cobras spread their hoods?

Cobras, including the king cobra , expand their neck ribs to form a hood as a defensive behavior when threatened. When a cobra feels threatened, it raises the front part of its body, spreads its hood just below its head, and hisses. This display makes the snake appear larger and more intimidating to potential predators. The cobra sways in response to movement, which snake charmers exploit, though they often remove the snake’s fangs.

What kind of venom do cobras have and how do they use it?

Cobras use venom for both hunting and defense. Cobra venom is primarily a neurotoxin that attacks the nervous system. Cobras inject venom through short, grooved fangs at the front of their mouths to immobilize prey, which consists mainly of small vertebrates and other snakes. Spitting cobras have a unique defensive mechanism: they can eject or spray venom from their fangs with great accuracy toward the face and eyes of a perceived threat at a distance of up to 3 meters (10 feet). This is achieved by squeezing muscles on their venom glands. The venom contains a high proportion of phospholipase-A2, which maximizes pain, and can cause intense pain and damage to the eyes, potentially leading to temporary or permanent blindness if not washed away promptly.

How do cobras play a role in their ecosystems and in human cultures?

Cobras play a vital role in their ecosystems as predators, primarily feeding on small vertebrates, rodents, and other snakes, thus helping to control populations. King cobras, for example, mainly prey on other snakes. Some animals like eagles and mongooses consume cobra eggs and hunt adult cobras. Cobras also feature prominently in human cultures, especially in India, where the Indian cobra is associated with snake charmers and Hindu mythology. The Egyptian cobra held significance in ancient Egypt, appearing on pharaohs' crowns. Cobras are harvested for use in food, medicine, and leather.

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Images & Videos

A Cape cobra (Naja nivea) with its hood expanded, upright in green grass, showing its brown and yellow patterned scales.

Close-up of a king cobra overlaid with question marks, a drawn crown, and an arrow pointing to the snake

An Indian cobra, or Indian spectacled cobra (Naja naja), is shown with its hood expanded, displaying distinctive markings. A scale bar compares 10 centimeters to 4 inches for reference.

The video thumbnail image shows a spitting cobra shooting venom from its teeth.

An Egyptian cobra with dark, glossy scales is coiled and raising its hooded head, facing forward with its tongue extended.

Quick Facts

Related Topics:: king cobra; Venom; elapid; Naja; venomous snake

On the Web:: National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - Local Cytotoxic Effects in Cobra Envenoming: A Pilot Study (Nov. 01, 2026)

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Top Questions

What is a cobra?
Cobras are venomous snakes known for their ability to expand their neck ribs into a hood when threatened. They are found in southern Africa, throughout southern Asia, and on islands of Southeast Asia. Snake charmers often use cobras, frightening them into their defensive posture. Cobras sway in response to movement and music, though charmers know how to avoid strikes and may remove the snake’s fangs.

Cobra venom contains neurotoxins that attack the nervous system, primarily affecting small vertebrates and other snakes. Bites from larger cobras can be fatal, depending on the amount of venom injected. Antivenin is effective if administered quickly. King cobras, the largest venomous snakes, mainly prey on other snakes and can grow up to 5.6 meters (18 feet) long. Indian cobras, also called spectacled cobras, are frequently found in India. Their venom is dangerous, and they are often associated with snake charmers.
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Where are cobras commonly found in the world?
Cobras are found in diverse regions across the world.
- Asia: Cobras inhabit areas from India through Southeast Asia to islands of the Philippines and Indonesia. The Indian cobra is present throughout the Indian subcontinent, including India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Afghanistan. King cobras live in forests from India through Southeast Asia to the Philippines and Indonesia.
- Africa: Cobras are found throughout Africa. The Egyptian cobra inhabits much of Africa and eastward to Arabia. Other African cobras include the ringhals of southern Africa and the black-necked cobra, which is widely distributed in Africa.
- Spitting Cobras: Spitting cobras can be found in both Africa and Asia. African and Asian spitting cobras are not closely related.
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How can you recognize a cobra?
Cobras are venomous snakes recognized by their ability to expand their neck ribs into a hood. King cobras can be distinguished from other cobras by the presence of 11 large scales on the crown of their head.

Indian cobras, also called spectacled cobras, have a hood with a black mark outlined in white that resembles two eyes connected by a curved line. Forest cobras can raise a third or more of their body in a threat display, and one or two black bands can be seen at the front of the neck when they expand their narrow hood.

When threatened, cobras lift the front part of their body, spread their hood, and hiss.
4 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Why do cobras spread their hoods?
Cobras, including the king cobra, expand their neck ribs to form a hood as a defensive behavior when threatened. When a cobra feels threatened, it raises the front part of its body, spreads its hood just below its head, and hisses. This display makes the snake appear larger and more intimidating to potential predators. The cobra sways in response to movement, which snake charmers exploit, though they often remove the snake’s fangs.
3 Britannica Sources
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What kind of venom do cobras have and how do they use it?
Cobras use venom for both hunting and defense. Cobra venom is primarily a neurotoxin that attacks the nervous system. Cobras inject venom through short, grooved fangs at the front of their mouths to immobilize prey, which consists mainly of small vertebrates and other snakes.

Spitting cobras have a unique defensive mechanism: they can eject or spray venom from their fangs with great accuracy toward the face and eyes of a perceived threat at a distance of up to 3 meters (10 feet). This is achieved by squeezing muscles on their venom glands. The venom contains a high proportion of phospholipase-A2, which maximizes pain, and can cause intense pain and damage to the eyes, potentially leading to temporary or permanent blindness if not washed away promptly.
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1. cobra
2. spitting cobra: Use in research
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How do cobras play a role in their ecosystems and in human cultures?
Cobras play a vital role in their ecosystems as predators, primarily feeding on small vertebrates, rodents, and other snakes, thus helping to control populations. King cobras, for example, mainly prey on other snakes. Some animals like eagles and mongooses consume cobra eggs and hunt adult cobras.

Cobras also feature prominently in human cultures, especially in India, where the Indian cobra is associated with snake charmers and Hindu mythology. The Egyptian cobra held significance in ancient Egypt, appearing on pharaohs' crowns. Cobras are harvested for use in food, medicine, and leather.
6 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

cobra, any of various species of highly venomous snakes, most of which expand the neck ribs to form a hood. While the hood is characteristic of cobras, not all of them are closely related. Cobras are found from southern Africa through southern Asia to islands of Southeast Asia. Throughout their geographic range, different species are favourites of snake charmers, who frighten them into assuming the upreared defense posture. The snake sways in response to the movement and perhaps also to the music of the charmer, who knows how to avoid the relatively slow strike and who may have removed the snake’s fangs. The short fangs at the front of the mouth have an enclosed groove, which delivers the venom. Cobra venom generally contains neurotoxins active against the nervous system of prey—primarily small vertebrates and other snakes. Bites, particularly from larger species, can be fatal depending on the amount of venom injected. Neurotoxins affect breathing, and although antivenin is effective, it must be administered soon after the bite. Thousands of deaths occur each year in South and Southeast Asia.

The world’s largest venomous snakes are the king cobras, or hamadryads, which are four species that constitute the genus Ophiophagus. Found predominantly in forests from India through Southeast Asia to the Philippines and Indonesia, king cobras prey chiefly on other snakes. Their maximum confirmed length is 5.6 metres (18 feet), but most king cobras do not exceed 3.6 metres (12 feet). King cobras guard a nest of 20 to 40 eggs, which are laid in a mound of leaves gathered by the female. The guarding parent will strike if a predator or a person approaches too closely. Not all cobras are egg layers.

The Indian cobra (or Indian spectacled cobra, Naja naja) was formerly considered a single species with much the same distribution as the king cobra. Recently, however, biologists have discovered that nearly a dozen species exist in Asia, some being venom spitters and others not. They vary both in size (most ranging between 1.25 and 1.75 metres) and in the toxicity of their venom. Spitters propel venom through the fangs by muscular contraction of the venom ducts and by forcing air out of the single lung.

Sea otter (Enhydra lutris), also called great sea otter, rare, completely marine otter of the northern Pacific, usually found in kelp beds. Floats on back. Looks like sea otter laughing. saltwater otters

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Animal Group Names

In Africa there are also spitting and nonspitting cobras, but the African cobras are not related to the Asian cobras, nor are they related to each other. The ringhals, or spitting cobra (Hemachatus haemachatus), of southern Africa and the black-necked cobra (Naja nigricollis), a small form widely distributed in Africa, are spitters. Venom is accurately directed at the victim’s eyes at distances of more than two metres (6.5 feet) and may cause temporary, or even permanent, blindness unless promptly washed away. The Egyptian cobra (N. haje)—probably the asp of antiquity—is a dark, narrow-hooded species, about two metres long, that ranges over much of Africa and eastward to Arabia. Its usual prey consists of toads and birds. In equatorial Africa there are tree cobras (genus Pseudohaje), which, along with the mambas, are the only arboreal members of the family Elapidae.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Meg Matthias.

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