Naja

Scientific name -- Naja spp.
Size -- 8' (Egyptian cobra); up to 18' (king cobra)
Diet -- rodents (king cobras eat other snakes)

There are 16 species in the cobra family, Elapidae. The king cobra is not a true cobra, but placed in its own genus. It is the largest venomous snake in the world and one of the largest reptiles (few crocodiles attain 18 feet in length). When they are disturbed and raise their front body off the ground, cobras can stand a full 6 feet tall.

Cobras have good eyesight but no ears. They sense vibrations through bones in their jaw and have an excellent sense of "smell" through their forked tongue. Cobra venom is a potent neurotoxin that destroys nerve tissue. The Egyptian cobra's venom is particularly strong, even for cobras.

Cobras were important in Egyptian mythology and art. The goddess Wadjet took the form of a cobra, and a cobra appears on the crown of the pharaoh. In Greek mythology, serpents arose from blood spilled from Medusa's head as Perseus passed through Africa.