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Egyptian cobra
Scientific Name: Naja haje
Snonyms:
Common Name: Egyptian cobra, Aspis
Size: The length of the Egyptian cobra is strongly depending of the subspecies, population and geographic range. We can say that the average total length is 100 – 200 cm, with a maximum of 300 cm.
Appearance:
The coloration of the Egyptian cobra is highly variable. The ground color may be yellow, crèmes, grayish, brown grey, copper-red, pale or dark brown or black with sometimes pale or dark spots over the body. In the neck they often show a black band or bands. The ventral side is mostly yellow white, yellow brown, grayish, blue grey, dark brown or black in coloration, often with dark spots.
Juvenile Egyptian cobras are yellow brown, crèmes or grey of color, with often darker spots over the body. In the neck do the juveniles show a dark cross band. The subspecies Naja haje legionis has a complete black head and neck, there body is yellowish white with black spots, after the juveniles get older they change there color and turn black.
Type of Venom: Neurotoxin
Nature:
The Egyptian cobra has a big geographic range over Africa and the Middle East . In Saudi Arabia lives the subspecies of Naja haje arabica they occur in the South and West of the country till heights of 1500 meter, with a yearly rainfall of 300mm. The subspecies Naja haje legionis can only be found in Southern Morocco . The subspecies of Naja haje haje has far out the biggest geographic range and lives in many different habitats. A list of countries were this subspecies occurs is listed below.
Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia (?), Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Yemen
Habitat:
Egyptian cobras are not snakes that live in the real desert as people often think. They occur in a wide variety of habitats like, steppes, dry savannahs, semi deserts with some vegetation and water. The Egyptian cobras also are found in oasis, agricultural ground, hills with sparse vegetation, and grassland. These cobras do also occur in the presence of humans were they often enter houses. They are attracted to the human villages by chickens and rats that are attracted by garbage. There are also notes of Egyptian cobras swimming in the Mediterranean sea, so they seem to like water were they are been found quit often.
Feeds on: Egyptian cobras are snakes that eat almost everything that moves. In the wild they feed with a wide variety of prey items like, toads, tortoises, lizards, snakes, small mammals, birds and fish. In captivity are these snakes quit easy to feed with birds, rodents and fish. I feed my Egyptian cobras mostly with rodents like mice, rats, small guinea pigs and rabbits. Sometimes I will feed them chicks, eggs or fish but the faeces of the snakes smells terrible after they digest there food. Juveniles are fed with baby mice and pieces of fish. I always provide my snakes with fresh water.
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