Desert Cobra

The Desert Cobra is a nocturnal elapid inhabiting arid and desert regions of North Africa and the Middle East. Despite its common name, it lacks a true hood and is only distantly related to true cobras of the genus Naja, though it shares the family Elapidae.

It is considered a venomous species capable of a medically significant bite, though its secretive, burrowing, nocturnal habits mean encounters with people are relatively infrequent.

• Uniformly glossy black or dark brown body, occasionally with a slight bluish sheen
• Smooth scales and a cylindrical, moderately stout body
• Small head not strongly distinct from the neck, lacking the expandable hood of true cobras
• Round pupils typical of elapids
• Adults typically 0.7-1.5 m
• Distinguished from other black desert snakes by its smooth uniform coloration and elapid head shape

Inhabits sandy and rocky deserts, semi-desert scrubland, and oasis margins across Egypt, the Levant, and the Arabian Peninsula. Often shelters in rodent burrows, rock crevices, or loose sand during the day.

Primarily nocturnal, emerging after dark to hunt. Feeds on small mammals, lizards, and other snakes. Generally shy and reluctant to bite unless provoked. Reproduction is oviparous, with females laying small clutches of eggs in underground burrows.