Arabian cobra

The Arabian cobra (Naja arabica) is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is endemic to the Arabian Peninsula.

Arabian cobra
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Elapidae
Genus:	Naja
Subgenus:	Uraeus
Species:	N. arabica
Binomial name
Naja arabica (Scortecci, 1932)
Range of Arabian cobra
Synonyms[2]
Naja haje arabica Scortecci, 1932 Naja (Uraeus) arabica — Wallach et al., 2009 Naja arabica — Trape et al., 2009 Uraeus arabica — Wallach et al., 2014

Etymology and Taxonomy

Naja arabica is classified under the genus Naja of the family Elapidae. It was first described by an Italian herpetologist, Giuseppe Scortecci in 1932. The generic name Naja is a Latinisation of the Sanskrit word nāgá (नाग), meaning "cobra”. The specific epithet arabica means “of Arabia” or “Arabic”.

This species, Naja arabica, had long been considered a subspecies of the Egyptian cobra (Naja haje), but morphological and genetic differences have led to its recognition as a separate species.^[3]

Distribution

The Arabian cobra is found in western Oman, southwestern Saudi Arabia, and throughout Yemen.^[1]

The Photo Ark

• In November 2021, National Geographic announced that the Arabian cobra was the milestone 12,000th animal photographed for The Photo Ark.^[4]