Cobras live in a variety of habitats across Asia and Africa. Specifically:
- King cobras, the largest venomous snakes, inhabit tropical and mountainous forests in Southeast Asia, including countries from the Indian subcontinent through southeastern Asia to southern China, and down to Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. They can be found in rainforests, bamboo groves, mangrove swamps, elevated grasslands, and near riverbanks. They spend time both on the ground and in trees or bushes.
- True cobras (genus Naja) are found in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Indonesia, living in diverse environments such as rainforests, cultivated areas, deciduous forests, rice paddies, urban areas, savannahs, and grasslands. Some species are adapted to arid climates.
- In southern Africa, cobras are found in grasslands, bushveld, and thick coastal forests. They tend to avoid high-altitude mountainous regions but may thrive in high-altitude grasslands like the Rinkhals species.
In summary, cobras live in tropical and subtropical regions across a broad geographic range, inhabiting forests, grasslands, wetlands, and sometimes human-influenced environments. Their presence is notable from southern Africa through southern Asia to Southeast Asian islands.
