Cobras

Southeast Asia Snakes

Snakes ~ Cobras

Few venomous snake species can invoke as much intensity as the cobra. Distributed throughout Southeast Asia, cobras belong to the Naja family. They are often used in medicinal remedies, cultural delicacies and as show animals for zoo displays and wildlife exhibitions. In Peninsular Malaysia, two Naja species are present alongside the king cobra.

The king cobra is a fearsome-looking cobra species, but is not technically part of the Naja family. It is often found in lowland forested areas near bodies of water. The king cobra gets its name from almost exclusively eating snakes, with the occassional monitor lizard (Varanus salvator). When young, king cobra juveniles are black with numerous yellow bands. This eventually disappears into adulthood, becoming a solid yellowish brown to orange. It can be found in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and Borneo all the way up to China and India.

The monocled cobra, or Naja kaouthia, is an aggressive snake species found in lowland to mid-elevation forests, but also often near human habitats, especially in flooded areas of paddy and agricultural plantations. They occur only in the north of Peninsular Malaysia. The sheer abundance of prey such as frogs, rodents and other snakes are what attracts it to these places. The Monocled Cobra is easily differentiated from other cobras by its 'eye' patterning behind its hood. Monocled Cobras found in Malaysia tend to be a uniform black in colour.

The spitting cobra, or Naja sumatrana, is widespread throughout Peninsular Malaysia. The colour of spitting cobras from here are usually solid black with whitish spots at the side of their necks. They are common enough to be found in urban habitats including residential areas in cities that are near secondary forest. They feed on frogs, rodents and other snakes in the wild and their distribution encompasses lowland, mid-level and highland rainforest. Their spitting range is believed to lie between 1 - 2 meters.