• There are eight sub-species of cobra.Morgan_halloween8_070307 image by TMorgan from Fotolia.com
  
  Cobras are snakes that belong to the taxonomic classification Elapidae. The name cobra derives from the Portuguese phrase "cobra de capelo," which means "hood snake." A feature that all species of cobra share is the ability to flare the skin of the neck, which they do (in combination with the ability to rear up) when in a threat display. They are also all venomous, killing their prey with a venom-loaded bite. There are several different genus groups of cobras.
  
  

Naja

• Cobras within the naja genus are the most typical-looking and the most geographically widespread of the cobras. They are long, thin snakes, often reaching lengths of 6 feet and are found in Africa, Indonesia, the Middle East, and Asia. There are approximately 20 species of naja cobra (there are some disputes about taxonomy), including the monocled cobra in Asia and the zebra spitting cobra found in southern Africa.
  
  

Shield Cobras

• Otherwise known as coral snakes, shield cobras are characterized by their banded coloring, usually either black and red or black and yellow. They spend much of their time in the leaf litter on forest floors or in slow-moving bodies of water. There are two families of coral snakes, Old World coral snakes, which are found across Asia, of which there are eleven species, and New World coral snakes, which live in temperate regions of the southern United States. There are 65 species of New World coral snake.
  
  

Water Cobras

• Found throughout much of Western and Central Africa, water cobras are so named because they spend a great proportion of their time in water. There are two species of water cobra, the Banded water cobra and the Christy's water cobra.
  
  

Tree Cobras

• Tree cobras live and hunt in the treetops of arboreal forests in Central and Western Africa, notably Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Ghana and Cameroon. They have smaller fangs, thinner bodies and larger eyes than many other species of cobra to help them thrive in this environment. There are two tree cobra species, Gold's tree cobra and the Black tree cobra.
  
  

Spitting Cobra

• Also called the Rinkhals or Ring-necked cobra, this species lives in southern Africa. It has the ability, when the front portion of its body is raised off the ground, to spit venom as a defense mechanism. It is capable of spitting its venom up to 6 feet and aims for the eyes of its attacker. It causes intense irritation if it finds its target. It may also play dead as a second defensive ploy.
  
  

Burrowing Cobra

• Found in central and West Africa, most densely in Cameroon and the Congo, the burrowing cobra (sometimes known as the Many-Banded cobra) is predominantly black in color, with white blotches on its flanks, that enable it to camouflage itself in the leaf litter on forest floors. It grows to approximately 3 feet in length.
  
  

American Cobra

• Found in the southeastern United States (including North Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Mississippi) and northern areas of Mexico, the American cobra is sometimes called the harlequin snake or candy stick snake because of its distinctive red, white and black banded coloration. Averaging 3 feet in length, the American cobra lives in both deciduous woodland and on scrubland plains.
  
  

King Cobra

• The king cobra is not only the longest species within the genus, it is also the longest venomous snake in the world, capable of reaching 18 feet in length. One bite from their fangs releases enough venom to kill an elephant, and they are the only snakes that build nests in which to house their eggs. King cobras are found in India, China and South-East Asia.