# Indian cobra (*Naja naja*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/indian-cobra  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The Indian cobra (Naja naja) is a snake in the family Elapidae, part of the suborder Serpentes within the order Squamata of the class Reptilia. It is also called the Oxus cobra, Common cobra, Spectacled cobra, Central Asian cobra and Indian spectacled cobra. The IUCN Red List lists the Indian cobra as Least Concern in its global assessment, which is not a threatened category. Its lifespan is given as 13.15 years, with values up to 32.3 years reported, and its eggs have an incubation period of 62 days, with 17 eggs per clutch.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | up to 1.68 kg |
| Length | up to 2.2 m |
| Lifespan | 13.2 years |
| Diet | Carnivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 32.3 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | forest |
| Egg incubation | 62 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 17 – 21 |
| Reproduction | Eggs |
| Active | By day (diurnal) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Reptilia
- order: Squamata
- family: Elapidae
- genus: Naja
- species: *Naja naja* (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms: *Coluber caecus*, *Coluber naja*, *Coluber rufus*, *Naia naia var. polyocellata*, *Naja brasiliensis*, *Naja fasciata*, *Naja lutescens*, *Naja lutrescens*, *Naja maculata*, *Naja naja bombaya*, *Naja naja ceylonicus*, *Naja naja gangetica*, *Naja naja indusi*, *Naja naja karachiensis*, *Naja naja lutescens*, *Naja naja madrasiensis*, *Naja naja polyocellata*, *Naja nigra*, *Naja non-naja*, *Naja tripudians*, *Naja tripudians f. typica*, *Naja tripudians var. caeca*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the Indian cobra?

The Indian cobra is a snake, a reptile in the family Elapidae and the genus Naja.

### Is the Indian cobra endangered?

No. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern in its global assessment, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does the Indian cobra live?

Its lifespan is given as 13.15 years, and our sources report values up to 32.3 years.

### How long do Indian cobra eggs take to hatch?

Indian cobra eggs have an incubation period of 62 days.

### How many young or eggs does the Indian cobra have?

The figure given for young per litter or eggs per clutch is 17.

### What other names does the Indian cobra have?

It is also called the Oxus cobra, Common cobra, Spectacled cobra, Central Asian cobra and Indian spectacled cobra.

### What is the scientific name of the Indian cobra?

Its scientific name is Naja naja, with the authority written as (Linnaeus, 1758).

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [ReptTraits: a comprehensive dataset of ecological traits in reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.24572683.v4), CC BY 4.0, v1-2. Oskyrko, O., Mi, C., Meiri, S. et al. (2024) ReptTraits: a comprehensive dataset of ecological traits in reptiles. Scientific Data 11: 243. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-024-03079-5. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.24572683.v4
- [SquamBase 1.0 - a dataset of squamate species traits](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.76hdr7t3b), CC0 1.0, 1.0-dryad-v5. Meiri, S. (2024) SquamBase - a database of squamate (Reptilia: Squamata) traits. Global Ecology and Biogeography 33(4): e13812. https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.13812. Data: https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.76hdr7t3b
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Indian cobra (Naja naja). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/indian-cobra