Table 1.
Geographical distribution of different Naja species and their WHO medical importance category. Data presented in this table were retrieved from snakebite information and the data platform maintained by the World Health Organization (https://www.who.int/teams/control-of-neglected-tropical-diseases/snakebite-envenoming/snakebite-information-and-data-platform/overview#tab=tab_1). The data were accessed on 5 October 2022.
| Snake Species | Common Name | Medical Importance/ Category |
Region of Distribution | Number of Countries | Human Population (2020) in This Species’ Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N. anchietae | Anchieta’s cobra | Highest, Secondary | Africa | 6 | 19,008,230 |
| N. annulata | Banded water cobra | Highest, Secondary | Africa | 10 | 114,642,902 |
| N. annulifera | Snouted cobra | Highest | Africa | 8 | 70,731,878 |
| N. ashei | Ashe’s spitting cobra | Highest | Africa | 6 | 32,513,269 |
| N. atra | Chinese cobra | Highest | Asia and Australasia | 5 | 570,266,425 |
| N. christyi | Christy’s water cobra | Secondary | Africa | 3 | 15,111,896 |
| N. guineensis | Black forest cobra | Highest, Secondary | Africa | 7 | 55,106,930 |
| N. haje | Egyptian cobra | Highest, Secondary | Africa | 21 | 443,884,351 |
| N. kaouthia | Monocled cobra, Thai cobra | Highest, Secondary | Asia | 11 | 976,884,863 |
| N. katiensis | Mali cobra, West Africa brown spitting cobra | Highest, Secondary | Africa | 12 | 123,542,818 |
| N. mandalayensis | Mandalay spitting cobra | Highest | Asia and Australasia | 1 | 14,774,047 |
| N. melanoleuca | Black and white cobra, Forest cobra | Highest, Secondary | Africa | 11 | 244,375,176 |
| N. mossambica | Mozambique spitting cobra | Highest, Secondary | Africa | 10 | 130,049,980 |
| N. naja | Indian cobra, Spectacled cobra | Highest, Secondary | Asia and Australasia | 5 | 1,656,817,409 |
| N. nigricincta | Western barred spitting cobra, Zebra cobra | Highest, Secondary | Africa | 4 | 11,381,021 |
| N. nigricollis | Black-necked spitting cobra | Highest, Secondary | Africa | 33 | 727,256,279 |
| N. nivea | Cape cobra | Highest | Africa | 4 | 17,651,152 |
| N. nubiae | Nubian spitting cobra | Secondary | Africa | 5 | 39,843,095 |
| N. oxiana | Central Asian cobra, Transcaspian cobra | Highest, Secondary | Asia and Australasia, Middle East | 8 | 242,127,307 |
| N. pallida | Red spitting cobra | Secondary | Africa | 6 | 59,847,176 |
| N. peroescobari | Sao Tome cobra | Highest | Africa | 1 | 189,185 |
| N. philippinesis | Northern Philippine cobra | Highest | Asia and Australasia | 1 | 592,982,107 |
| N. sagittifera | Andaman cobra | Secondary | Asia and Australasia | 1 | 373,959 |
| N. samarensis | Southern Philippine cobra, Visayan cobra | Highest | Asia and Australasia | 1 | 30,350,207 |
| N. savannula | West African banded cobra | Highest, Secondary | Africa | 16 | 151,894,138 |
| N. senegalensis | Senegalese cobra | Highest, Secondary | Africa | 13 | 84,781,768 |
| N. siamensis | Indochinese spitting cobra, Siamese spitting cobra | Highest, Secondary | Asia and Australasia | 5 | 119,240,121 |
| N. sputatrix | Southern Indonesian spitting cobra | Highest, Secondary | Asia and Australasia | 2 | 167,089,984 |
| N. subfulva | Brown forest cobra | Highest, Secondary | Africa | 22 | 377,545,129 |
| N. sumatrana | Equatorial spitting cobra | Highest, Secondary | Asia and Australasia | 6 | 124,654,470 |