Which venomous snake is commonly called the 'Indian cobra'?

The venomous snake commonly called the Indian cobra is the Indian cobra, scientifically known as Naja naja. It is also widely called the spectacled cobra because many individuals have a paired, spectacle-like marking on the back of the hood.

This species is native to the Indian subcontinent, including India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and southern Nepal. When threatened, it raises the front of its body and spreads its ribs to form the familiar hood. Its venom is primarily neurotoxic, disrupting nerve signals and potentially causing muscle weakness and respiratory paralysis.

The Indian cobra is one of the four snake species traditionally grouped as India’s “Big Four,” alongside the common krait, Russell’s viper, and Indian saw-scaled viper. It is often confused with the monocled cobra, Naja kaouthia, which usually has a single O-shaped hood marking rather than the Indian cobra’s spectacle pattern. The name Naja ultimately derives from the Sanskrit naga, meaning cobra.