Caspian cobra

Description

The Caspian cobra (Naja oxiana), also called the Central Asian cobra, ladle snake, Oxus cobra, or Russian cobra is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is endemic to Central Asia. Described by Karl Eichwald in 1831, it was for many years considered a subspecies of the Indian cobra until genetic analysis revealed it to be a distinct species. Naja oxiana is medium in length, a heavy-bodied snake with long cervical ribs capable of expansion to form a hood. Anteriorly, the body is depressed dorsoventrally, and posteriorly it is subcylindrical. This species is similar in size to Naja naja, averaging about 1 to 1.4 m (3.3 to 4.6 ft) in total length (including tail) and rarely reaches lengths over 1.7 m (5.6 ft).The head is elliptical, depressed, and slightly distinct from the neck, with a short, rounded snout and large nostrils. The eye is medium in size with a round pupil. The dorsal scales are smooth and strongly oblique, with the outer two or three scale rows larger than the remainder. The hood of N. oxiana has an elongate, gradually tapering shape in contrast to the more ovoid hoods of some other Naja species (Naja naja or Naja kaouthia). Juveniles tend to be pale, with a faded appearance. Juveniles have noticeable dark and light cross-bands of approximately equal width around the body. Adults of this species are completely light to chocolate brown or yellowish, with some specimens retaining traces of juvenile banding, especially the first few dark ventral bands. This species has no hood mark and no lateral throat spots. Naja oxiana occurs in the Transcaspian region. It is found throughout Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, southwestern Tajikistan, the Fergana Valley, north and east Afghanistan, northeastern Iran (from East Azerbaijan Province, southern half of Ardabil Province to the Provinces of Zanjan and Tehran all the way to the eastern half of both Isfahan and Yazd Provinces, as well the northeastern parts of Kerman Province, northern part of Sistan and Baluchestan Province, and throughout throughout the Provinces of Semnan, Mazandaran, and Golestan the entire former Province of Khorasan, which was split into three separate provinces post-2004), the northern half of Pakistan, from Balochistan to Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir. This species has also been observed in northwest India in Jammu and Kashmir (union territory) and the state of Himachal Pradesh.