Southeasf Asia 



enclosing 1 to 3 dark spots ; ventral hood mark a pair of 

 dark spots or a wide dark band. Young darker than 

 adults and with more vivid crossbands. 



DiHtribution: West Bengal, East Pakistan, Assam and 

 Burma ; Thailand ; Malaya and southwest China, mostly 

 in lowlands. 



Chinese Cobra, Naja naja atra Cantor. 



Identification: Adults grayish brown, olive or black- 

 ish with widely spaced narrow light hands sometimes 

 in pairs; hood marks variable but usually similar to 

 the monocellate cobra ; belly pale sometimes with brown 

 mottling. Young black with distinct whitish crossbands. 

 Slightly smaller than the Indian cobra ; maximum length 

 about 51/; feet. (See plate VI. fig. 2). 



Distrihution: Thailand and south China east to Viet 

 Nam, Ilaiiiaii and Taiwan. 



Malay Cobra, Xiija naja xputatrix Boie. 



Identification: Brown, gray or black witbimt definite 

 pattern on body; hood marks as in the monocellate cobra 

 or dorsal mark absent ; belly dark .sometimes with white 

 blotches on the throat. In this race of the Asian 

 cobra, the discharge orfice of the fang is small and well 

 short of the tip. This type of fang is associated with 

 the habit of spraying or "siiilling" venom, and such 

 behavior has been reported for the .Malayan cobra. 



Average length JO to .")() inches; maximum about 60 

 inches. 



Distribiitiiin: The Malay peninsula and most of the 

 larger islands of Imlonesia. 



Borneo Cobra, \<i]<i. naja m/oJep/x Boulenofer. 



Idcntificalioit: Blade or very dark brown above with- 

 out a dorsal hood marking ; belly yellow to dark gray. 

 Yoking with widely spaced white or yellow crossbands 

 and a chevron-shaped light mark behind the head. The 

 maximum length is about ."> inches. 



nixtiibiition: Bornei), Palawan ( Piiiliiipines). Xaja 

 naja saniarcnsix of the Vi.sayan Islands of the Philip- 

 pines is very similar. 



Philippine Cobra, Xaja naja philippinensis Tay- 

 lor. 



Identification: Light brown or olive above without 

 hood marking; cream to light brown below. Young 

 darker with reticulate iiattern of light lines. Size 

 about the same as the Borneo cobra. 



Distriltiition: Luzon and Mindoro. Philippines. 



ELAPIDAE: Genus Ophiopbagus Giinther, 1864. 

 King cobra. 



A single species. O. hannah, is found in so\itheastern 

 Asia and the Philippines. It attains a length of 1(5 to 

 18 feet, and is considered one of the world's most dan- 

 gerous snakes. 



Definition: Head relatively short, flattened, moder- 

 ately distinct from neck : snout broad, rounded, canthus 

 indistinct. Bod.v slender, tapering, neck region capable 

 of expanding into snuill hood ; tail long. 



Eyes moderate in size ; pupils round. 



Head scales : The usual 9 on the crown, plus a pair 

 of large occipitals in contact with one another behind the 

 parietals. Laterally, nasal in narrow contact with 

 elongate preocular. 



FioiKE ^7. — Head Scales of King Cobra, Ophinphagiis 

 hannah. The large scutes (occipitals) behind the 

 parietal scutes identify this genus. Redrawn from 

 Maki, 19.31. 



Body scales : Dorsals smooth, in 1.5 oblique rows at 

 midbody and posteriorly, more (17-19) on neck. Ven- 

 trals 240-2."V4 ; subcaudals S4-104, the anterior ones 

 single, the remainder paired. 



Maxillary teeth: Two relatively short fangs (about 

 '-J inch in a large specimen) with external grooves fol- 

 lowed, after an interspace, by .3 small teeth. 



King Cobra, HomocJryad, phiophagus hannah 

 (Cantor). 



Identification: The great size is an important recog- 

 nition feature. Adults in most parts of the range meas- 

 ure 7 to 1.3 feet and are larger than any Asian snakes 

 except the pythons and exceptional specimens of the 

 nonpoLsonous keeled rat snake (Zancyx) which may 

 reach 12 fi-et. Smaller king cobras may be recognized 

 by the presence of large occipital shields, a uniipie fea- 

 ture of the species. The hood is pro])ortionally narrower 

 than in Asian Xaja. 



Adults olive, brown or greenish yellow becoming 

 darker on the tail: head scales edged with black; throat 

 yellow or orange sometimes with black markings. 

 Young black with buff, wliite or yellow chevron-shaped 

 narrow crossbands. .\dult snakes from East Bengal, 

 Burma and Thailand retain the cros.sbands especially on 

 the posterior half of the body. 



Distrihution: Peninsular India to the Himalayan 

 foothills thence eastward across southeastern China and 

 regions to the south ; the Philippines and larger islands 

 of Indonesia. In the western and northern part of its 

 range largely confined to hilly jungle to elevations of 

 6.000 feet. In Malaya and Thailand found in fairly 

 open coiuitry and in cultivated areas. Nowhere is it 

 very plentiful. 



125 



