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Does anyone know of a good site for info on Naja atra? I noticed on BGF’s site that the subcutaneous LD 50 for atra is 0.29…over twice as potent than that of the cape cobra. Is it safe to say that atra’s venom is primarily neurotoxic with little, if any, necrotic bite symptoms? Does anyone have any experience with N. atra that wouldn’t mind sharing their experience or pics? Are these snakes prone to be spitters? I’d love to hear any input from BGF or WW on this subject.

Thanks in advance…Adam Stockton

The most toxic cobra period not counting the water cobras.
I hear they dont always spit venom in the eyes is not as bad damage to the eyes whise as africian spitters.
plus they are more expensive.

>>Does anyone know of a good site for info on Naja atra? I noticed on BGF’s site that the subcutaneous LD 50 for atra is 0.29…over twice as potent than that of the cape cobra. Is it safe to say that atra’s venom is primarily neurotoxic with little, if any, necrotic bite symptoms? Does anyone have any experience with N. atra that wouldn’t mind sharing their experience or pics? Are these snakes prone to be spitters? I’d love to hear any input from BGF or WW on this subject.

Most clinical reports on Naja atra bite suggest that most bites are necrotic (sometimes severely so), with only a few resulting in neurotoxicity. Mortality rates were generally very low. These reports are mostly from Taiwan, so other populations from China may be different. Another clear example of LD50s meaning Jack-Sh*t as far as assessing danger to humans being concerned (although there is of course the possibility, or indeed likelihood, that whoever carried out that test screwed up the ID of the cobras concerned...).

As to spitting, this seems to be an individual and/or population thing. Some specimens certainly do spit, although they are nowhere near as good at it as more specilaised Asian spitters like N. siamensis, N. sumatrana or N. sputatrix. This can lead people into a false sense of security - I know of at least one herper who thought they never spit, but got an eyeful when he played with a different specimen in someone else's collection.

As to websites, I can only really offer my own site, if you haven't been there already...

Cheers,

Wolfgang

Asiatic Cobra Systematics Page

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NP

Came across this page...that's necrosis alright.
Naja atra & Deinagkistrodon acutus bites

That is false, everyone knows that N. nivea possesses the most potent venom than any other Naja subspecies.
Drew

>>That is false, everyone knows that N. nivea possesses the most potent venom than any other Naja subspecies.

And you base that statement on what, exactly? This is yet another one of those rather poorly substantiated statements that floats round the grey literature and has become accepted as a tablet of stone, without any reference whatsoever to the original research that led to that claim.

BGF compiled the data available from the literature, nothing more, nothing less. That's what came out. That's the DATA.

There may well be different figures around for the same species (after all, LD50 can differ hugely between individuals, populations, subspecies and so on, and they may well differ between different lots of mice as well). Moreover, as we are continuously re-establishing, they don't mean sh*t as far as assessing the danger to humans is concerned.

I'd agree that Naja nieva is probably more likely to kill you than N. atra, but let's not confuse that issue with the available LD50 data.

Cheers,

Wolfgang
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