Snake Helpline

Venomous (Neurotoxic)
Common Name: Common Indian cobra/ Spectacled cobra
Odia Name: ନାଗ
Zoological Name: Naja naja
Family: Elapidae
WL(P)A – Schedule – I

Scales smooth, glossy. Head broad. Colour, pattern, and hood mark variable; hood mark sometimes absent. The famous “spectacled” marking (or variations) on hood usually makes identification easy. The dark or black pattern-less Spectacled Cobras are frequently mistaken for the Central Asian Cobra.

Look-alikes: Indian Rat Snake
Banded Racer

Venomous (Neurotoxic)
Common Name: Monocellate cobra 
Odia Name: ତମ୍ପ
Zoological Name: Naja kaouthia
Family: Elapidae
WL(P)A – Schedule – I

Scales smooth, glossy. Head broad. Colour, pattern, and hood mark variable. Shades of brown, yellow, grey or black, uniform or with ragged yellowish cross-bands. An eye-shaped or “O” shaped hood mark almost always present (sometimes faint, rarely broken up). Hood rounder and smaller than that of Spectacled Cobra.

Look-alikes: Some spectacled cobras

Venomous (Neurotoxic)
Common Name: Common Krait 
Odia Name: ଚିତି
Zoological Name: Bungarus caeruleus
Family: Elapidae
WL(P)A – Schedule – II

Smooth-scaled.Glossy black, pale faded bluish-grey or dark brownish-black above(often with blue iridescence) with narrow (sometimes paired) white cross-linesthat continue to pointed tip of short tail.These lines usually absent on forebody orthey are replaced by white vertebral spots. Mid-dorsal scale hexagonal (6 sided). Often confused with many wolf snakes. A nocturnal snake.

Look-alikes: Common wolf snake
Barred wolf snake
Bridal snake

Venomous (Haemotoxic)
Common Name: Russell’s viper 
Odia Name: ଚନ୍ଦନ ବୋଡା
Zoological Name: Daboia russelii
Family: Viperidae
WL(P)A – Schedule – I

Scales strongly keeled. Stout body, rough appearance. Triangular head broader than neck. The scales on the upper surface of head small strongly keeled. Nostril very large. Vertical pupil in eye. Tail short. Brown or yellowish-brown body with 3 longitudinal series of prominent, large brown or black oval or round spots. Top of the head usually has narrow white ∧ shaped mark and a pair of triangular or oval dark brown markings.

Look-alikes: Common sand boa
Indian rock python