Description

Naja Nivea Venom | Cape Cobra Venom:

Naja Nivea Venom | Egyptian Cobra Venom is extracted from a snake called Naja Nivea.

More details about Naja Nivea | Cape Cobra Venom:

Purity	> 99 %
Form	Lyophilized Powder
Packaging	In vacuum sealed glass vials, in secured parcel.

The venom of the Egyptian cobra consists mainly of neurotoxins and cytotoxins. The average venom yield is 175 to 300 mg in a single bite, and the murine subcutaneous LD₅₀ value is 1.15 mg/kg.

However, Mohamed et al. (1973) recorded LD₅₀ (mice) values of 0.12 mg/kg and 0.25 mg/kg via intraperitoneal injections of specimens from Egypt.

Irwin et al. (1970) studied the venom toxicity of a number of elapids, including Naja haje from different geographical locations. Venom potency ranged from 0.08 mg/kg to 1.7 mg/kg via intravenous injections on mice.

Taxonomic Classification:

Name	Naja Nivea
Common Name(s)	Cape Cobra, Yellow Cobra, Brown Cobra, Copper Cobra.
Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Chordata
Class	Reptilia
Order	Squamata
Suborder	Serpentes
Family	Elapidae
Genus	Naja
Species	N. nivea

About Naja Nivea Snake:

The Cape cobra (Naja nivea), also called the yellow cobra, is a moderate-sized, highly venomous species of cobra inhabiting a wide variety of biomes across southern Africa including arid savanna, fynbos, bushveld, desert and semi-desert regions.

The species is diurnal and is a feeding generalist, preying on a number of different species and carrion.

Predators of this species include birds of prey, honey badgers and various species of mongoose.

The Cape cobra is also known as the “geelslang” (yellow snake) and “bruinkapel” (brown cobra) in South Africa. Afrikaans speaking South Africans also refer to the Cape cobra as “koperkapel” (“copper cobra”),

mainly because of a rich yellow colour variation. This species has no known subspecies.

Etymology:

Naja nivea was first described by Swedish zoologist Carl Linnaeus in 1758. The generic name naja is a Latinisation of the Sanskrit word nāgá (नाग) meaning “cobra”.

The specific epithet nivea is derived from the Latin words either nix or nivis meaning “snow” or niveus meaning “snowy” or “snow-white”.

The connection with snow is obscure, but might have been suggested by discolouration of the first preserved specimens received by taxonomists in Europe.

Taxonomy:

Naja is a genus in the family Elapidae. Linnaeus first described Naja nivea in 1758.

He originally assigned the binomial name Coluber niveus, but some ten years afterwards Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti described the genus of true cobras under the name Naja.

In 2007 Wüster et al. partitioned the genus Naja into four separate subgenera on the basis of various factors such as lineage, morphology and diet.

They placed Naja nivea in the subgenus Uraeus, the African non-spitting cobras: the Cape cobra (N. nivea), the Egyptian cobra (N. haje), the snouted cobra (N. annulifera), Anchieta’s cobra (N. anchietae), Arabian cobra (N. arabica) and Senegalese cobra (N. senegalensis).

Description:

The Cape cobra is a medium-sized species of cobra. Mature specimens are typically about 1.2 to 1.4 metres (3.9 to 4.6 ft) long, but may grow up to 1.6 metres (5.2 ft) in length. Males are slightly larger than females.

The longest specimen on record was a male from Aus, Namibia and measured 1.88 metres (6.2 ft) long.

Another very large specimen was also a male found in De Hoop Nature Reserve with a total length of 1.86 metres (6.1 ft).

Distribution and habitat:

The Cape cobra is endemic to southern Africa. In South Africa, where it most often occurs, the species occurs throughout the Western Cape, Northern Cape, Eastern Cape, Free State, and North West Province.

It also is found in the southern half of Namibia, southwestern Botswana, and western Lesotho.

Although the Cape cobra has a smaller geographical range than any other African cobra, it occurs in a variety of different habitats.

The preferred habitat of the species is fynbos, bushveld, karoo scrubland, arid savanna, the Namib desert and the Kalahari desert.

It often inhabits rodent burrows, abandoned termite mounds and, in arid regions, rock crevices.

Where it occurs in temperate regions and arid karroid regions, it is often found along rivers and streams entering well-drained, open areas.

Behaviour and ecology:

The Cape cobra is a diurnal species and actively forages throughout the day. During very hot weather it may become crepuscular, but is rarely if ever observed during the hours of darkness.

It is a terrestrial snake, but will readily climb trees and bushes, and shows considerable agility in for example systematically robbing the nests of the sociable weaver.

When not active, it hides in holes or under ground cover, such as brush piles, often remaining in the same retreat for some time.

It is a quick moving and alert species, and although a report mentions that this species is generally calm when compared to some other African venomous snakes, it strikes readily if threatened.

When disturbed and brought to bay the Cape cobra raises its forebody off the ground, spreads a broad hood and may hiss loudly. While on the defensive, it strikes unhesitatingly.

If the threat remains motionless, the snake will quickly attempt to escape, but at any sign of movement will adopt its defensive posture again. The Cape cobra is more aggressive during the mating period.