![]() Although rare, large rats have been known to fatally wound the snake by scratching, biting, or even poking one or both of the snake's eyes out. Large rats that have been bitten by this snake and are in a position to fight back, often do so. Predators of this species include humans, birds of prey, the king cobra, and the mongoose. However, they will also eat other sizable snakes, small lizards, frogs, eggs, and when the opportunity arises, small birds. Small rodents such as mice and small rats are their preferred prey and make up the majority of their diets. This species feeds predominantly on small mammals, frogs, and even other snakes. This species of cobra is particularly fond of water, so it can be found very close to ponds, rivers, or large puddles of water. The Philippine cobra's habitat include low-lying plains and forested regions, along with open fields, grasslands, dense jungle, agricultural fields, and human settlements. Records from the Calamianes group and Palawan require confirmation. This species likely may occur in other neighboring islands, but this remains unconfirmed. They can be found on the islands of Luzon, Mindoro, Catanduanes, and Masbate. The Philippine cobra occurs mostly in the northern regions of the Philippines. There are 23-27 (usually 25) scale rows around neck, 21 (rarely 23) just ahead of mid-body 182-193 ventrals, 36-49 subcaudals, basal pairs sometimes undivided. They have 23-27 scale rows around the neck and 21 just above the middle part of the body 182-193 ventrals, 36-49 subcaudals, and basal pairs are sometimes undivided. It has a fairly stocky build for an elapid, and adult snakes are uniformly light to medium brown, while the juveniles tend to be a darker brown in color. The eyes are moderate in size with dark brown and round pupils, typical of other cobra species and similar to other elapids in general. The head is elliptical, depressed, slightly distinct from neck with a short, rounded snout and large nostrils. If true, however, 2 m would be very rare and would be considered the absolute maximum for this species. ![]() ![]() The species can grow to lengths of 1.6 metres (5.2 ft) However, subpopulations of the species, particularly specimens from Mindoro Island, are said to attain lengths of 2 metres (6.6 ft), but these are unconfirmed claims. The average length of this species is 1.0 metre (3.3 ft). ![]() The Philippine cobra is a stocky snake of medium length with long cervical ribs capable of expanding, so when threatened, a hood can be formed. The specific epithet philippinensis is Latin and literally means "from the Philippine Islands". The generic name naja is a Latinisation of the Sanskrit word nāgá ( नाग) meaning "cobra". Naja philippinensis was described by American herpetologist Edward Harrison Taylor in 1922. The Philippine cobra is called ulupong in Tagalog, carasaen in Ilocano. The Philippine cobra ( Naja philippinensis) also called Philippine spitting cobra or northern Philippine cobra, is a stocky, highly venomous species of spitting cobra native to the northern regions of the Philippines.
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