Egyptian Cobra

Fascinating facts about the Egyptian Cobra

• The Egyptian cobra averages roughly 1.4 m in length, with the longest recorded specimen measuring 2.59 m.
• A single bite can deliver 175–300 mg of neuro- and cytotoxins, enough to kill a human; laboratory tests show lethal doses as low as 0.08 mg/kg in mice. The potency reminds us why even a brief encounter with this snake can be deadly.
• The Egyptian cobra ranges across most of North Africa north of the Sahara, the savannas of West Africa south of the Sahara, south to the Congo Basin and east to Kenya and Tanzania; it prefers water-rich habitats and has been observed swimming in the Mediterranean Sea.
• When threatened, it assumes the typical upright posture with the hood expanded and may strike after a short retreat.
• In 2006 a pet Egyptian cobra hid in a Toronto house for over five months, prompting a costly evacuation and a $17,000 fine for the owner. The incident underscores how this species can adapt to urban cracks, turning ordinary walls into secret refuges.

At a glance

About the Egyptian Cobra

The Egyptian cobra (Naja haje) commands attention with its formidable size and iconic hood. Adults average about 1.4 metres (4.6 ft), yet the longest recorded individual stretched to 2.59 metres (8.5 ft), a testament to the species’ potential for growth. Its head is large, depressed, and only slightly set off from the neck, while the neck’s expandable cervical ribs unfurl a dramatic, fan-like hood when the snake feels threatened. Colouration is a kaleidoscope of earthy tones, most often brown with a characteristic teardrop mark beneath the eye, but ranging to copper-red, grey-brown, or even an almost entirely black mantle in north-western African (Moroccan) populations. The ventral side varies from creamy white to dark brown or black, sometimes speckled with dark spots. Scale counts are precise: 19–20 dorsal rows at mid-body, 191–220 ventrals, a single anal plate, and 53–65 paired subcaudals, with a distinctive arrangement of ocular and labial scales that aid identification. In the wild Naja haje inhabits a mosaic of habitats, from steppes and dry savannas to moist savannas and semi-desert regions punctuated by water and vegetation. It is frequently encountered near rivers, in agricultural fields, and even within human dwellings, drawn by rodent pests and domestic chickens. Primarily crepuscular or nocturnal, the cobra maintains a permanent home base in abandoned burrows, termite mounds, or rock outcrops, yet it will venture out to forage, preying on toads, small mammals, birds, eggs, lizards, and other snakes. A surprising trait is its role as an intermediate host for the acanthocephalan parasite Pachysentis ehrenbergi, linking it to a hidden web of ecological interactions.

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