The Arabian Cobra is the fiercest venomous snake found in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

2023-07-20 2023-07-20T07:30:25Z

Weather of Arabia - A video circulating on social media platforms showed the Arabian cobra snake in one of the waterfalls of the Al-Fara Mountains, west of the city in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A person weighing 70 kg is about 15-20 mg

Arabian Cobra in one of the waterfalls of the Al-Faqara Mountains, west of the city .
Photographed and commented by Abu Hammam Al-Othaim.

It is considered one of the most dangerous and ferocious poisonous snakes in the Kingdom. Its poison is deadly and attacks the nervous system. The amount of poison required to kill a person weighing 70 kg is about 15-20 mg.

Foreign name: Egyptian cobra
The name… pic.twitter.com/DLUPcOLGrA

- Mr. Dr. Abdullah Al-Misnad (@ALMISNID) July 19, 2023

Information about the Arabian Cobra :

Foreign name: Egyptian cobra
Arabic name: Arabian cobra
Scientific name: Naja haja arabicus
Local name: It is called in the southern region by the name of the snake, Um Hawa, Al Hanash
Description: A snake distinguished by its wide hood and its ability to raise its body off the ground. It is a relatively long snake, and its length may reach two meters. Its color tends to be yellowish-brown on the dorsal side, while the abdomen tends to be yellow.
Habitat: in valleys, near dams, water bodies and farms
Distribution: It is generally spread in the southern and western regions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Degree of toxicity: It is considered one of the most dangerous and ferocious poisonous snakes in the Kingdom. Its poison is deadly and attacks the nervous system. The amount of poison required to kill a person weighing 70 kg is about 15-20 mg.

Researcher Nayef Al-Maliki, who is interested in studying snakes in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, said that the appearance of snakes and the increase in their numbers during these periods coincides with the season in which they wake up after the winter hibernation of snakes. He also explained that rising temperatures lead to an increase in the Earth's interior, which pushes reptiles and insects to come out and resume their role in nature. Because of the fasting that they go through for a period during the winter, she has a greedy desire to eat to compensate for the lack of food during that period.

He added: "Large crowds appear in nature and in the valleys, and some cities of the Kingdom witnessed the flow of rain water through the valleys, which caused the dredging of snakes and dumping them in some villages and farms on the banks of the valleys. This phenomenon is considered normal, and it is not a surprise."

Al-Maliki warned the public against contact with reptiles because they are poisonous and very dangerous, and appealed to contact the competent authorities in this regard.

He emphasized that prevention is required, keeping homes clean of trees attached to the walls of the house, removing rubble thrown on the ground, trimming weeds, closing water leaks, as well as the entrances to cables and stones in the yard of the house.

And he continued his speech: “Snakes are divided into three categories: very poisonous, moderately toxic, and non-toxic.” Their number in Saudi Arabia is estimated at 56 species. The medium-toxic liar and the non-poisonous trampling snake, including those that live in the plains and grassy valleys, such as the poisonous pyramid viper, the cat-like snake of medium toxicity, and the non-poisonous digit, including what is found in the mountains and in their valleys flowing with water, such as the poisonous Arabian cobra, the poisonous black cobra, the poisonous jet snake, the elegant non-poisonous, and the non-poisonous rock and other types of snakes.