scientific name - naja naja .
common name - spectacled cobra, indian cobra, nag (marathi, hindi).Moorkan (Malayalam), Naya (Singhalese), Naaga Pamu (Telugu),Nagara Haavu (Kannada) , Nalla pambu or naja Pambu (Tamil)and Gokhra (Bengali).
LIFE CYCLE - The Indian cobra is native to the Indian subcontinent which includes present day Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.It can be found in plains, jungles, open fields and the regions heavily populated by men.Cobras normally feed on rodents, toads, frogs, birds and snakes. Its diet of rats leads it to areas inhabited by humans including farms and outskirts of urban areas.
FOOD - mainly feeds on rodents, mice, lizards and toads etc.
breeding-
Indian cobras are oviparous and lay their eggs between the months of April and July.The female snake usually lay from 10 to 30 eggs in rat holes or termite mounds and the eggs hatch 48 to 69 days later.
CHARMING- It is offensive and The Indian cobra's celebrity comes from its popularity as a snake of choice for snake charmers. The cobra's dramatic threat posture makes for a unique spectacle as it appears to sway to the tune of a snake charmer's flute. Snake charmers with their cobras in a wicker basket are a common sight in many parts of India only during the Nag Panchami festival. The cobra, of course, is deaf to the snake charmer's pipe, but follows the visual cue of the moving pipe and it can sense the ground vibrations from the snake charmer's tapping. In the past Indian snake charmers also conducted cobra and mongoose fights. These gory fight shows, in which the snake was usually killed, are now illegal.
THIS SNAKE IS FRIEND OF FARMERS because of its prey of rodents which is harmful for farmers as they destroy 40% grain every year.
