NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Egyptian Cobra
Naja haje (Linnaeus, 1758)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Egyptian cobra (Naja haje) is one of the most venomous species of snakes inhabiting Northern Africa. It averages roughly 1.4 metres (4.6 ft) in length; the longest specimen recorded so far measured 2.59 metres (8.5 ft).
Wikipedia contributors, Egyptian cobra; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T04:08:50.079784+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Naja haje (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Name authority
- (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Common name
- Egyptian Cobra
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Elapidae
- Genus
- Naja
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
- orderSquamata Oppel, 1811
- suborderSerpentes Linnaeus, 1758
- infraorderAlethinophidia Nopcsa, 1923
- familyElapidae
- genusNaja
- speciesNaja haje (Linnaeus, 1758)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Naja. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Ringed Water CobraNaja annulata Peters, 1876 | ElapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Chinese CobraNaja atra Cantor, 1842 | ElapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Christy's Water CobraNaja christyi (Boulenger, 1904) | ElapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mandalay CobraNaja mandalayensis Slowinski & Wüster, 2000 | ElapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Black and White CobraNaja melanoleuca Hallowell, 1857 | ElapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Many-banded SnakeNaja multifasciata (Werner, 1902) | ElapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Common cobraNaja naja (Linnaeus, 1758) | ElapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Black-necked Spitting CobraNaja nigricollis Reinhardt, 1843 | ElapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Nubian Spitting CobraNaja nubiae Wüster & Broadley, 2003 | ElapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| African CobraNaja pallida Boulenger, 1896 | ElapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Philippine CobraNaja philippinensis Taylor, 1922 | ElapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Peters' CobraNaja samarensis Peters, 1861 | ElapidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Naja haje var. viridis Peters, 1873 Peters, 1873 | synonym |
| Coluber candidissimus Lacépède, 1789 Lacépède, 1789 | synonym |
| Naja haje legionis Valverde, 1989 Valverde, 1989 | synonym |
| Cerastes candidus Laurenti, 1768 Laurenti, 1768 | synonym |
| Coluber haje Linnaeus, 1758 Linnaeus, 1758 | synonym |
| Naja obscura Saleh & Trape ex Trape, 2023 Saleh & Trape ex Trape, 2023 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Naja&species=haje Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:45KWW. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.