Naja nigricollis

9.9

A dangerous African cobra that spits venom into eyes and can cause blindness

noun

Specialized

: Naja nigricollis

If the venom of Naja nigricollis enters the eyes, it can cause temporary or permanent blindness.

Examples

The Naja nigricollis is feared not for its bite but for its ability to spit venom accurately.
The Naja nigricollis is often called the black-necked spitting cobra.
Researchers studied the behavior of Naja nigricollis in its natural African habitat.
Have you ever seen a Naja nigricollis in the wild?
If the venom of Naja nigricollis enters the eyes, it can cause temporary or permanent blindness.
The Naja nigricollis is feared not for its bite but for its ability to spit venom accurately.
Researchers studied the behavior of Naja nigricollis in its natural African habitat.

Synonyms

black-necked cobra

vsNaja nigricollis

South African

8.6

A large African snake with a black neck that can spit venom into eyes and cause blindness

is the scientific name used for the same species

Surface Forms

Naja nigricollis singular

Naja nigricollises plural

Morphology

Naja + nigricollis

This is a taxonomic binomial (genus + Latin descriptor): knowing 'Naja' as a genus of cobras plus recognizing 'nigricollis' as a descriptor (literally ‘black-necked’) would allow a learner to infer it names a black‑necked Naja, so some meaning (appearance/taxonomic class) is compositional. However the full species-specific behavior (spitting venom, causing blindness, aggressive tendencies) is not derivable from the parts, and the Latin descriptor is not normally known by B1 learners, so the transparency is only partial.

Etymology

Naja nigricollis comes from words that describe the snake: Naja is a word for a 'cobra', and nigricollis combines Latin parts meaning 'black' and 'neck' because the snake has a dark throat. So the name simply means 'black-necked cobra', a species known for spitting venom that can cause blindness.