Any snake that is able to respond to a threat with its own threat display in which it raises the front of its body and extends its neck ribs to the sides, forming a hood behind the head, and hissing loudly. Most cobras belong to the family Elapidae, all of which are venomous, and ‘true’ cobras comprise more than 20 species in the genus Naja; the Indian cobra is N. naja, the Egyptian cobra (asp) is N. haje, and the Cape cobra is N. nivea. Cobras occur throughout Africa and tropical Asia. Despite their reputation, they are not aggressive towards humans and seldom strike without first threatening, by way of warning.