The Chinese cobra (''Naja atra''), also called the Taiwan cobra, is a species of
cobra
COBRA or Cobra, often stylized as CoBrA, was a European avant-garde art group active from 1948 to 1951. The name was coined in 1948 by Christian Dotremont from the initials of the members' home countries' capital cities: Copenhagen (Co), Brussels ...
in the family
Elapidae
Elapidae (, commonly known as elapids , from , variant of "sea-fish") is a family of snakes characterized by their permanently erect fangs at the front of the mouth. Most elapids are venomous, with the exception of the genus '' Emydocephalus ...
, found mostly in southern China and a couple of neighboring nations and islands.
It is one of the most prevalent
venomous snakes
''Venomous snakes'' are species of the suborder Serpentes that are capable of producing venom, which they use for killing prey, for defense, and to assist with digestion of their prey. The venom is typically delivered by injection using hollow ...
in
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
, which has caused many
snakebite
A snakebite is an injury caused by the bite of a snake, especially a venomous snake. A common sign of a bite from a venomous snake is the presence of two puncture wounds from the animal's fangs. Sometimes venom injection from the bite may ...
incidents to humans.
Etymology and names
''Naja atra'' was first described by
Danish physician, zoologist, and botanist
Theodore Edward Cantor
Theodore Edward Cantor () (1809–1860) was a Danish physician, zoologist and botanist. He described several new species of reptiles and amphibians, and six species have been named in his honor.
Cantor was born to a Danish Jewish family; his m ...
in 1842.
[ ] The
generic name ''naja'' is a Latinisation of the
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...
word () meaning "cobra".
The
specific
Specific may refer to:
* Specificity (disambiguation)
* Specific, a cure or therapy for a specific illness
Law
* Specific deterrence, focussed on an individual
* Specific finding, intermediate verdict used by a jury in determining the final ...
epithet ''atra'' comes from the Latin term ''ater'', which means "dark", "black", or "gloomy".
In
Mandarin Chinese
Mandarin ( ; zh, s=, t=, p=Guānhuà, l=Mandarin (bureaucrat), officials' speech) is the largest branch of the Sinitic languages. Mandarin varieties are spoken by 70 percent of all Chinese speakers over a large geographical area that stretch ...
, the snake is known as ''Zhōnghuá yǎnjìngshé'' (
simplified: 中华眼镜蛇,
traditional
A tradition is a system of beliefs or behaviors (folk custom) passed down within a group of people or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examp ...
: 中華眼鏡蛇, lit. "Chinese spectacled snake", i.e. Chinese
cobra
COBRA or Cobra, often stylized as CoBrA, was a European avant-garde art group active from 1948 to 1951. The name was coined in 1948 by Christian Dotremont from the initials of the members' home countries' capital cities: Copenhagen (Co), Brussels ...
), ''Zhōushān yǎnjìngshé'' (舟山眼鏡蛇, lit. "
Zhoushan
Zhoushan is an urbanized archipelago with the administrative status of a prefecture-level city in the eastern Chinese province of Zhejiang. It consists of an archipelago of islands at the southern mouth of Hangzhou Bay off the mainland c ...
spectacled snake", i.e. Zhoushan cobra) or, in
Cantonese
Cantonese is the traditional prestige variety of Yue Chinese, a Sinitic language belonging to the Sino-Tibetan language family. It originated in the city of Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton) and its surrounding Pearl River Delta. While th ...
, ''faahnchaántàuh'' (飯鏟頭, lit. "
rice paddle
A rice paddle (, Japanese: , ) is a large flat spoon used in East Asian cuisine. It is used to stir and to serve rice, to dip gochujang, and to mix vinegar into the rice for sushi.
Rice paddles are traditionally made from bamboo, wood, or la ...
head").
In
Taiwanese, the snake is known as ''pn̄g-sî-chhèng'' (飯匙倩/銃, lit. "
rice paddle
A rice paddle (, Japanese: , ) is a large flat spoon used in East Asian cuisine. It is used to stir and to serve rice, to dip gochujang, and to mix vinegar into the rice for sushi.
Rice paddles are traditionally made from bamboo, wood, or la ...
?"), ''ba̍k-kiàⁿ-chôa'' (目鏡蛇, lit. "spectacled snake", i.e.
cobra
COBRA or Cobra, often stylized as CoBrA, was a European avant-garde art group active from 1948 to 1951. The name was coined in 1948 by Christian Dotremont from the initials of the members' home countries' capital cities: Copenhagen (Co), Brussels ...
), or ''tn̂g-ām-chôa'' (長頷蛇, lit. "long-chinned snake").
Description

This medium-sized snake is usually long, but they can grow to a maximum length of though this is rare.
The hood mark shape is variable from spectacle, mask to horseshoe or O- shape and is often linked to light throat area on at least one side. The throat area is clearly defined light which is usually with a pair of clearly defined lateral spots.
The Chinese cobra is iridescent black with a number of distant transversal double lines of a yellow colour. The abdominal surface is pearl or slaty coloured.
The dorsal color of the Chinese cobra is usually brown, grey or black,
with or without narrow, light transverse lines at irregular intervals which are especially prominent in juveniles.
Like other elapids, this is a
proteroglyphous snake with fangs that are permanently erect and are located at the anterior of the upper jaw.
Scalation
There are 23–29 scale rows around hood (usually 25–27); 19–21 just ahead mid-body (usually 21); ventral scales 161–180 (usually 171 in males, 173 in females); subcaudal scales 37–51 pairs (usually 48 in males, 46 in females).
Anal scale is entire.

Identification
The Chinese cobra is sometimes confused with the
Monocled cobra (''Naja kaouthia''). But it can be easily distinguished by virtue of having lower ventral and subcaudal scale counts, particularly when sex is taken into account.
Distribution and habitat
This species is found in southeastern
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
(including the provinces of
Sichuan
Sichuan is a province in Southwestern China, occupying the Sichuan Basin and Tibetan Plateau—between the Jinsha River to the west, the Daba Mountains to the north, and the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau to the south. Its capital city is Cheng ...
,
Fujian
Fujian is a provinces of China, province in East China, southeastern China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capital is Fuzhou and its largest prefe ...
,
Guangdong
) means "wide" or "vast", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226. The name "''Guang''" ultimately came from Guangxin ( zh, labels=no, first=t, t= , s=广信), an outpost established in Han dynasty ...
,
Guangxi
Guangxi,; officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People's Republic of China, located in South China and bordering Vietnam (Hà Giang Province, Hà Giang, Cao Bằn ...
,
Guizhou
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption =
, image_map = Guizhou in China (+all claims hatched).svg
, mapsize = 275px
, map_alt = Map showing the location of Guizhou Province
, map_caption = Map s ...
,
Hunan
Hunan is an inland Provinces of China, province in Central China. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the Administrative divisions of China, province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to the east, Gu ...
,
Hubei
Hubei is a province of China, province in Central China. It has the List of Chinese provincial-level divisions by GDP, seventh-largest economy among Chinese provinces, the second-largest within Central China, and the third-largest among inland ...
,
Zhejiang
)
, translit_lang1_type2 =
, translit_lang1_info2 = ( Hangzhounese) ( Ningbonese) (Wenzhounese)
, image_skyline = 玉甑峰全貌 - panoramio.jpg
, image_caption = View of the Yandang Mountains
, image_map = Zhejiang i ...
,
Hong Kong
Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
and the Island province of
Hainan
Hainan is an island provinces of China, province and the southernmost province of China. It consists of the eponymous Hainan Island and various smaller islands in the South China Sea under the province's administration. The name literally mean ...
and
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
), northern
Laos
Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...
, northern
Vietnam
Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
, where it is much more common in the south.
Its typical habitat is
woodland
A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with woody plants (trees and shrubs), or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the '' plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunli ...
s,
shrublands
Spring Park is a small area in London, England. It is within the London Borough of Bromley and the London Borough of Croydon, straddling the traditional Kent-Surrey border along The Beck. Spring Park is located north of Addington, London, Adding ...
,
grasslands
A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge ( Cyperaceae) and rush ( Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes such as clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur ...
, and
mangroves
A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows mainly in coastal saline or brackish water. Mangroves grow in an equatorial climate, typically along coastlines and tidal rivers. They have particular adaptations to take in extra oxygen and remove sal ...
, although it is an adaptable species that is able to persist in a variety of habitats.
Behavior

Adults can be very aggressive, but the younger tend to be more aggressive as they are more nervous to the things surrounding them.
The Chinese cobra usually escapes to avoid confrontation with humans. The snake is terrestrial,
diurnal and
crepuscular
In zoology, a crepuscular animal is one that is active primarily during the twilight period, being matutinal (active during dawn), vespertine (biology), vespertine/vespertinal (active during dusk), or both. This is distinguished from diurnalit ...
.
Reproduction
Like other species of cobra, it is an
oviparous
Oviparous animals are animals that reproduce by depositing fertilized zygotes outside the body (i.e., by laying or spawning) in metabolically independent incubation organs known as eggs, which nurture the embryo into moving offsprings kno ...
snake.
Gravid
In biology and medicine, gravidity and parity are the number of times a female has been pregnant (gravidity) and carried the pregnancies to a viable gestational age (parity). These two terms are usually coupled, sometimes with additional terms, t ...
females will lay between 6 and 23 eggs sometime between May through to the end of July.
Venom
The Chinese cobra is a highly venomous member of the true cobras (genus ''Naja'').
The
murine
The Old World rats and mice, part of the subfamily Murinae in the family Muridae, comprise at least 519 species. Members of this subfamily are called murines. In terms of species richness, this subfamily is larger than all mammal families excep ...
values of its venom are 0.29 mg/kg
IV and 0.53 mg/kg
—0.67 mg/kg
SC.
The average venom yield from a snake of this species kept at a snake farm was about 250.8 mg (80 mg dry weight).
According to Minton (1974), this cobra has a venom yield range of 150 to 200 mg (dry weight).
Brown listed a venom yield of 184 mg (dry weight).
Local symptoms in victims caused by a Chinese cobra bite are wound darkening, localized redness and
swelling,
pain
Pain is a distressing feeling often caused by intense or damaging Stimulus (physiology), stimuli. The International Association for the Study of Pain defines pain as "an unpleasant sense, sensory and emotional experience associated with, or res ...
,
insensibility
"Insensibility" is a poem written by Wilfred Owen during the First World War
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: t ...
, and invariably blisters and
necrosis
Necrosis () is a form of cell injury which results in the premature death of cells in living tissue by autolysis. The term "necrosis" came about in the mid-19th century and is commonly attributed to German pathologist Rudolf Virchow, who i ...
. Necrosis is a serious problem in cases of cobra bite as it may persist for many years after the general recovery of the victim. The following systemic symptoms may also occur: chest discomfort, fever,
sore throat
Sore throat, also known as throat pain, is pain or irritation of the throat. The majority of sore throats are caused by a virus, for which antibiotics are not helpful.
For sore throat caused by bacteria (GAS), treatment with antibiotics may hel ...
, difficulty in swallowing, loss of voice, weak feeling in limbs, walking haltingly, general ache,
lockjaw, and difficulty in breathing. Fatality occasionally occurs.
The antivenom is widely available and deaths are much rarer than they used to be.
References
External links
Venomous Snakes of Southern ChinaCITES – NAJA SPECIES
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2351506
Naja
Snakes of Asia
Snakes of Southeast Asia
Snakes of China
Reptiles of Hong Kong
Reptiles of Laos
Reptiles of Taiwan
Reptiles of Vietnam
Reptiles described in 1842
Taxa named by Theodore Edward Cantor
Snakes of Vietnam