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LONDON ZOO, DISCOVERS A NEWS SPECIES OF SPITTING COBRA - N. NUBIAE, THE NUBIAN COBRA AS PART OF AN ILLEGAL PET TRADE CONFISCATION.

London Zoo, Discovers a News Species of Spitting Cobra	- N. nubiae, the
Nubian cobra as Part Of An Illegal Pet Trade Confiscation. 
 
Reprinted with the permission of International Zoo News magazine, December
2003 Anyone wishing a sample copy of IZN just send your request to 
ngouldzin@aol.com. 
 
Keepers from the zoo's reptile house and Dr Wolfgang Wüster (School of
Biological Sciences, University of Wales) have discovered a new species of
spitting cobra. The snakes, brought to London Zoo as part of an illegal pet
trade confiscation, were originally thought to be red spitting cobras (Naja
pallida), but have subsequently proved to belong to a closely related but
previously unrecognised species, which has been named N. nubiae, the Nubian
cobra. 
 
Keepers noticed a difference in scale pattern and coloration, and the new
species was confirmed by Dr Wüster's DNA studies. The Nubian is
differentiated from the red spitting cobra by its throat and neck pattern
and overall body colour. N. pallida normally has a single, broad dark band
across the throat, which encircles the body and crosses the neck; the rest
of the body is uniformly dark red. N. nubiae has two bands across the neck,
a distinct light throat area before the main throat band, and practically
all specimens feature a small dark spot on each side of the throat. The
rest of the body is dark brown. 
 
The new cobras at the zoo recently produced a clutch of ten eggs, all of
which hatched successfully on 5 June 2003. The tiny babies are miniature
replicas of their parents, complete with fully-stocked venom glands and
fangs capable of spitting. 
 
Terry March, Team Leader of Reptiles at London Zoo, says, `Working very
closely with the animals here in the reptile house, we noticed subtle
differences when the animals arrived, and collaborating with Dr Wüster has
led to a new species of cobra being identified. To then see the snakes
successfully breed makes it even more significant, as there is so little
known about the species and much to learn.'