Many-banded snake

The many-banded snake (Naja multifasciata), also known commonly as the burrowing cobra, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is native to Central Africa. There are three recognized subspecies.

Geographic range
N. multifasciata is found in Angola, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, the Republic of Congo, and the Central African Republic.

Habitat
The preferred natural habitat of N. multifasciata is marshy areas of forest, at elevations up to 800 m.

Description
N. multifasciata is a small snake with an adult size of 50 cm and maximum size of about 81 cm. The body is moderately slender with a short tail ending in a blunt spike. The head is short, flattened, and slightly distinct from neck; the neck region is not capable of expansion into a hood. The eyes are medium to moderately large. The pupils are round. The dorsal scales are smooth and glossy.

Venom
N. multifasciata is venomous. Its venom is similar to classical cobra venoms and appears to contain both neurotoxins and cardiotoxins.

Reproduction
N. multifasciata is oviparous.

Taxonomy
The genus Paranaja was synonymised with Naja in a recent molecular phylogenetic study, as this species is closely related to the forest cobra (Naja melanoleuca)

Subspecies
Three subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies.
 * Naja multifasciata anomala Sternfeld, 1917 – Cameroon
 * Naja multifasciata duttoni (Boulenger, 1904)
 * Naja multifasciata multifasciata (F. Werner, 1902)

Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Naja.

Etymology
The subspecific name, duttoni, is in honor of British parasitologist Joseph Everett Dutton.