~1 m adult · up to 1.6 m reportedTotal length · adult average and reported upper length
Venom status
VenomousMedically important
Known venom effects
Neurotoxic · nerve–muscle paralysis
Size & venom sources
Length: Adults average about 1 m in the published species introduction. The secondary species account gives 1.6 m as an upper length. These figures are not a newly measured sample or an absolute biological limit.
Tan et al. (2019), Introduction; Wikipedia, Description
Venom effects and medical significance are different from toxicity rankings. Do not handle a snake on the basis of this summary.
A Philippine endemic with a familiar hood and medically important venom. Its documented island distribution includes Luzon and Mindoro, extending to Marinduque, Masbate, Catanduanes and Lubang. Explore its appearance, natural history and the evidence behind each place below.
Distribution6 documented areas
ReproductionEgg-laying
ConservationNT · reported in 2018
Research example · 6 September 2026 · Expert review pending
Adult · study plateMario Lutz · Authorised for display in this atlas; no third-party reuse licence grantedJuvenile · study plateMario Lutz · Authorised for display in this atlas; no third-party reuse licence granted
These contributor-labelled adult and juvenile studies show artistic interpretations, not documented specimens or a diagnostic scale reference. Colour and proportions vary; size is not to scale. Individual credits and usage rights are listed below.
Media provenance
Every image carries its source.
Adult · portrait
Type
Illustration
Credit
Mario Lutz
Usage rights
Authorised for display in this atlas; no third-party reuse licence granted
Evidence status
Illustration; not a documented specimen record or diagnostic scale reference
Juvenile · portrait
Type
Illustration
Credit
Mario Lutz
Usage rights
Authorised for display in this atlas; no third-party reuse licence granted
Evidence status
Illustration; not a documented specimen record or diagnostic scale reference
Adult · study plate
Type
Illustration
Credit
Mario Lutz
Usage rights
Authorised for display in this atlas; no third-party reuse licence granted
Evidence status
Illustration; not a documented specimen record or diagnostic scale reference
Juvenile · study plate
Type
Illustration
Credit
Mario Lutz
Usage rights
Authorised for display in this atlas; no third-party reuse licence granted
Evidence status
Illustration; not a documented specimen record or diagnostic scale reference
A closer look
Natural history & identification
IDENTIFICATION
Recognising the Philippine cobra
Usually light brown to olive-brown above, with a hood that expands during a defensive display. Colour is variable: two dark-grey adults were documented in Isabela. That report used an absent loreal scale, one preocular, three postoculars and 21 midbody scale rows to support identification. These are characters from the reported specimens, not a reason to approach a living cobra.
Luzon surveys associate encounters with agricultural areas around settlements. Brown and colleagues documented a Cagayan specimen and discussed records from the Sierra Madre; they explicitly noted uncertainty about the circumstances of its capture. Such records establish use of modified landscapes, but do not mean the species occupies every farm or forest patch.
A secondary Philippine natural-history account describes small rodents and frogs as principal prey, with occasional snakes, lizards and birds. Treat this as a qualitative account: this profile has no verified field dataset giving prey proportions, seasonal changes or differences between adults and juveniles.
The species is oviparous: females lay eggs. A source-verified clutch-size range, incubation period and seasonal breeding calendar are not yet established in this profile. Those details should be added from a species-specific study or an attributed breeding record, with captive and wild observations identified separately.
This is a spitting cobra. Sy and Taggueg recorded two adults sheltering beneath sacks on agricultural land at 49 m elevation. Their record illustrates both shelter use and colour variation; its midday discovery is not evidence of an exclusively daytime activity pattern.
Envenoming can cause rapidly developing neuromuscular paralysis and threaten breathing. The 2019 proteomic study identified short alpha-neurotoxins as the main neurotoxic component of the sampled venom. The paper describes the species as WHO Category 1 medically important. Laboratory venom results should not be converted into a “deadliest snake” ranking or a prediction of an individual bite outcome.
The 2018 Philippine synopsis reports Near Threatened, citing the IUCN 2016 listing. This is the dated status available to this profile, not a newly verified 2026 assessment. Direct confirmation of the current Red List assessment remains pending.
Persecution and exploitation are identified as potential threats in the Luzon field survey. The presence of cobras near people makes clear identification, encounter avoidance and informed local response especially relevant. The survey does not provide a national population estimate or a measured island-by-island trend.
Naja philippinensis is treated as a distinct species endemic to the Philippines. Older literature used Naja naja philippinensis. The 2018 synopsis names Luzon, Mindoro, Marinduque and Masbate. The later field note also lists Catanduanes and Lubang, referring to 2017 distribution records.
The current Reptile Database gives Pangasinan Province, Luzon, as the type locality, whereas the 2018 synopsis gives Manila, Luzon. Both report loss of the original holotype. The discrepancy is retained explicitly until the original description and subsequent type actions are reconciled.
Observe from a distance. Do not attempt to handle, corner or capture a cobra.
After a suspected bite, keep the person still, immobilise the affected limb and arrange immediate transport to medical care. Do not apply a tight tourniquet or use unproven remedies. Do not wait for symptoms to become severe.
Secondary length account: 1 m average and 1.6 m reported upper length, attributed there to the University of Adelaide Clinical Toxinology Resource. The 1 m adult average is also stated in Tan et al. (2019). Wikipedia is not treated as a measured-specimen dataset.
