Central Asian cobra

The snake that warns by spreading its hood

When a cobra senses danger it spreads its hood wide, rises up and hisses — that means 'stay away!'. It always warns first; biting is a last resort. The Central Asian cobra lives in southern Uzbekistan's warm foothills and eats mice, frogs and lizards. If you see one, calmly back away — it won't chase you.

The Central Asian cobra (Naja oxiana) is the northernmost true cobra: Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan (Surkhandarya, Kashkadarya), Tajikistan, Iran, Afghanistan. 1.5–1.8 m, brown, with no 'spectacle' mark on the hood. Its venom is neurotoxic, but the snake is calm: raised hood and hissing are warning stages, and bites are often 'dry'. It eats rodents, frogs, birds and other snakes — useful for farmland. Active by day in spring, evenings in summer; dormant 5–6 months in winter. In Uzbekistan's Red Book (declining from habitat loss). Its venom is used to make medicines.

Fun facts

• A cobra always warns before biting — hood, hiss, then a 'dry' bite.
• One cobra kills hundreds of mice a year — a farmer's helper.
• Painkillers are made from cobra venom.