![]() naja) from Pakistan, almost the entire throat is black. oxiana) normally has several dark bands under the throat, whereas in the black phase of the Indian cobra ( N. The Caspian cobra ( Naja oxiana) is never fully black, although some specimens may be quite dark. They're also both the only true non-spitting cobras in Asia. Ĭonfusions may exist with the Indian cobra ( Naja naja), as specimens without a hood mark are usually confused with this species, and these two species coexist in Pakistan and northern India. This species has no hood mark and no lateral throat spots. Adults of this species are completely light to chocolate brown or yellowish, with some specimens retaining traces of juvenile banding, especially the first few dark ventral bands. Juveniles have noticeable dark and light cross-bands of approximately equal width around the body. Juveniles tend to be pale, with a faded appearance. Gradually tapering shape in contrast to the more ovoid hoods of some other Naja species ( Naja naja or Naja kaouthia). The dorsal scales are smooth and strongly oblique, with the outer two or three scale rows larger than the remainder. The eye is medium in size with a round pupil. The head is elliptical, depressed, and slightly distinct from the neck, with a short, rounded snout and large nostrils. This species is similar in size to Naja naja, averaging about 1 to 1.4 m (3.3 to 4.6 ft) in total length (including tail) and rarely reaches lengths over 1.7 m (5.6 ft). Anteriorly, the body is depressed dorsoventrally, and posteriorly it is subcylindrical. Naja oxiana is medium in length, a heavy-bodied snake with long cervical ribs capable of expansion to form a hood. The species itself appears to be genetically homogeneous despite population separation caused by the Hindu Kush mountains this suggests a recent rapid range expansion. Ī mitochondrial DNA study of Asiatic cobras in the subgenus Naja showed the Caspian cobra diverged from a lineage that gave rise to the monocled cobra ( Naja kaouthia) and the Andaman cobra ( Naja sagittifera) around 3.21 million years ago. Highly variable coloration and size within individual species made classification difficult until the advent of genetic analysis. naja from the north of India as well as populations corresponding to the Caspian cobra. naja caeca were applied to plain-scaled populations of N. For most of the twentieth century, all Asiatic cobras were considered to be subspecies of the Indian cobra ( Naja naja) during this period, the subspecific names N. The specific epithet oxiana is derived from the word Ōxus in Latin or Ὦξος ( Ôxos) in Greek, and refers to the ancient name of the river Amu Darya which flows along Afghanistan`s northern border separating it from Tajikistan and Uzbekistan before turning northwest into Turkmenistan and flows from there into the southern remnants of the Aral Sea in Central Asia ( Transoxiana), where this species occurs. The generic name naja is a Latinisation of the Sanskrit word nāgá ( नाग) meaning "cobra". Russian naturalist Alexander Strauch placed it in the genus Naja in 1868. Described by Karl Eichwald in 1831, it was for many years considered a subspecies of the Indian cobra until genetic analysis revealed it to be a distinct species.īaltic German naturalist Karl Eichwald described the Caspian cobra originally as Tomyris oxiana in 1831. ![]() ![]() ![]() The Caspian cobra ( Naja oxiana), also called the Central Asian cobra, ladle snake, Oxus cobra, or Russian cobra, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae.
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