Monocellate Cobra

Monocellate Cobra

Naja kaouthia

Silhouette: V. Deepak · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Bangkok

In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%

31 Verified sightings at Bangkok
May Best month
☀️🌙 Day & Night When it's spotted

About the Monocellate Cobra

The monocled cobra (Naja kaouthia), also called monocellate cobra and Indian spitting cobra, is a venomous cobra species widespread across South and Southeast Asia. It is characterized by a distinctive circular or "monocle"-shaped marking on the hood, though the pattern can be highly variable or even absent in some individuals. It occupies a wide range of habitats, including forests, agricultural land, and areas near human settlements. It is responsible for a significant proportion of snakebite incidents and fatalities in its range, due to its potent neurotoxic venom and frequent proximity to human settlements. Some populations of the monocled cobra have the ability to spit venom with notable accuracy, though not all individuals exhibit this behavior.

The scientific name Naja kaouthia was proposed by René Lesson in 1831, when he described the monocled cobra as a beautiful snake that is distinct from the spectacled cobra, with 188 ventral scales and 53 pairs of caudal scales.

Since then, several monocled cobras were described under different scientific names: In 1834, John Edward Gray published Thomas Hardwicke's first illustration of a monocled cobra under the trinomial... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability

More parks will be added in future updates.

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Chattogram 🇧🇩 Bangladesh
~40%
2 Kolkata 🇮🇳 India
~10%
3 Bangkok 🇹🇭 Thailand
~10%
4 Kuala Lumpur 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~10%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 San Diego Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
2 Moscow Zoo 🇷🇺 Russia In captivity
3 Cabarceno Natural Park 🇪🇸 Spain In captivity
4 Toronto Zoo 🇨🇦 Canada In captivity
5 Chiang Mai Zoo 🇹🇭 Thailand In captivity
6 Terra Natura Benidorm 🇪🇸 Spain In captivity
7 National Zoo of Malaysia 🇲🇾 Malaysia In captivity
8 Taronga Zoo 🇦🇺 Australia In captivity
9 Melbourne Zoo 🇦🇺 Australia In captivity
10 Crocodile Farm 🇹🇭 Thailand In captivity
11 Paphos Zoo 🇨🇾 Cyprus In captivity
12 Tbilisi Zoo 🇬🇪 Georgia In captivity
13 Cherkasy Zoo 🇺🇦 Ukraine In captivity
14 Zoológico La Reina 🇲🇽 Mexico In captivity
15 Siam Serpentarium 🇹🇭 Thailand In captivity
16 Snake Farm of Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute 🇹🇭 Thailand In captivity
17 Città della Domenica 🇮🇹 Italy In captivity
18 National Reptile Zoo 🇮🇪 Ireland In captivity

Closest Relatives at Bangkok

No species of the same family or order lives in Bangkok, so these are its closest relatives here: other reptiles.

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Monocellate Cobra in Bangkok?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Monocellate Cobra sighting in Bangkok on a given day, based on 31 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 20th most-seen of the 35 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Monocellate Cobra in Bangkok?

May

In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Monocellate Cobra in Bangkok on a given day, against under 5% in July–August and October–February, the lowest months. That is one of Bangkok's wettest months, with about 160 mm of rain against 10 mm in December.

What time of day is best to see a Monocellate Cobra?

Between 9 am and noon

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Monocellate Cobra sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.

Is Bangkok the best place to see a Monocellate Cobra?

3rd of 4

Of the 4 cities where we can rate Monocellate Cobra sightings, Bangkok ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Chattogram (Bangladesh, about 40%) and Kolkata (India, about 10%).

Where does the Monocellate Cobra sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Monocellate Cobra is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Bangkok (31 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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