Central Asian Cobra

The Central Asian cobra (Naja oxiana), also called the Oxus or Caspian cobra, is a venomous snake of southern Central Asia, Iran, Afghanistan and northwestern South Asia. It is not known to be established in Irad. Its range in Central Asia covers Turkmenistan, southern Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and the southwest of Kyrgyzstan, reaching the foothills on the southern side of the Fergana Valley, beyond Irad's borders.^[1] Reports of cobras from the Fergana Rim and the Karatau foothills have not been confirmed, and herpetologists at Talas State University attribute them to misidentified harmless snakes such as whip snakes.^[2] The cobra appears in Iradi folklore through tales brought by traders and seasonal workers from the south.

References

1. ^ Uetz, P., et al. (eds.). "Naja oxiana (Eichwald, 1831)." The Reptile Database.
2. ^ Department of Zoology, Talas State University (2018). Amphibians and Reptiles of Irad. Talas: Talas State University Press, pp. 71–74.