| West African water nymph | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Alismatales |
| Family: | Hydrocharitaceae |
| Genus: | Najas |
| Species: | N. hagerupii |
| Binomial name | |
| Najas hagerupii | |
Najas hagerupii, called the West African water nymph, is an aquatic plant growing in fresh water rivers and ponds. It is a rare and little-known species known only from the West African nations of Ghana and Mali. [1]
George Albert Boulenger was a Belgian-British zoologist who described and gave scientific names to over 2,000 new animal species, chiefly fish, reptiles, and amphibians. Boulenger was also an active botanist during the last 30 years of his life, especially in the study of roses.
The Cape cobra, also called the yellow cobra, is a moderate-sized, highly venomous species of cobra inhabiting a wide variety of biomes across southern Africa including arid savanna, fynbos, bushveld, desert and semi-desert regions. The species is diurnal and is a feeding generalist, preying on a number of different species and carrion. Predators of this species include birds of prey, honey badgers and various species of mongoose. The Cape cobra is also known as the "geelslang" and "bruinkapel" in South Africa. Afrikaans speaking South Africans also refer to the Cape cobra as "koperkapel", mainly because of a rich yellow colour variation. This species has no known subspecies.
Najas, the water-nymphs or naiads, is a genus of aquatic plants. It is cosmopolitan in distribution, first described for modern science by Linnaeus in 1753. Until 1997, it was rarely placed in the Hydrocharitaceae, and was often taken as constituting the family Najadaceae.
Naja is a genus of venomous elapid snakes known as cobras. Members of the genus Naja are the most widespread and the most widely recognized as "true" cobras. Various species occur in regions throughout Africa, Southwest Asia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. Several other elapid species are also called "cobras", such as the king cobra and the rinkhals, but neither are true cobras. They are not true cobras in that they do not belong to the genus Naja, but instead each belong to monotypic genera Hemachatus and Ophiophagus.
Boulengerina is a genus or subgenus of elapid snakes known commonly as water cobras, so named because of their semiaquatic nature. The genus was recognised to have two species, which are found in central and southern Africa. Some recent molecular studies have suggested that the genus Boulengerina should be synonymised with Naja, because the water cobras are closely related to some species of Naja.
The many-banded snake, also known as the burrowing cobra is a species of venomous elapid snake. The species is found in the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Cameroon in Africa.
The wildlife of Mali, composed of its flora and fauna, is widely varying from the Saharan desert zone to the Sahelian east–west zone, to Mali, a landlocked francophone country in North Africa; large swathes of Mali remain unpopulated but has three sub-equal vegetation zones; the country has Sahara Desert in the north, the Niger River Basin at its center and the Senegal River on the south.
The red spitting cobra is a species of spitting cobra native to Africa.
The Egyptian cobra is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae, classified within the subgenera Uraeus. It averages roughly 1.4 metres (4.6 ft), with the longest recorded specimen measuring 2.59 metres (8.5 ft).
Naja ashei, commonly known as Ashe's spitting cobra or the giant spitting cobra, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is native to Africa. It is the world's largest species of spitting cobra.
Naja annulata, commonly known as the banded water cobra or the ringed water cobra, is a species of water cobra native to western and central Africa. The species is one of the two species of water cobra in the world, the other one being the Congo water cobra.
The black-necked spitting cobra is a species of spitting cobra found mostly in sub-Saharan Africa. They are moderately sized snakes that can grow to a length of 1.2 to 2.2 m in length. Their coloration and markings can vary considerably. They prey primarily on small rodents. They possess medically significant venom, although the mortality rate for untreated bites on humans is relatively low. Like other spitting cobras, they can eject venom from their fangs when threatened. The neurotoxic venom irritates the skin, causing blisters and inflammation, and can cause permanent blindness if the venom makes contact with the eyes and is not washed off.
Najas guadalupensis is a species of aquatic plant known by the common names southern waternymph, guppy grass, najas grass, and common water nymph. It is native to the Americas, where it is widespread. It is considered native to Canada, and most of the contiguous United States, Mexico, Central America, the West Indies and South America. It has been introduced in Japan, Israel and Palestine.
Najas marina is a species of aquatic plant known by the common names spiny water nymph, spiny naiad and holly-leaved naiad. It is an extremely widespread species, reported across Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, the Americas and many oceanic islands. It can be found in many types of freshwater and brackish aquatic habitat, including bodies of alkaline water.
The forest cobra, also commonly called the black cobra and the black and white-lipped cobra, is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is native to Africa, mostly the central and western parts of the continent. It is the largest true cobra species with a record length of 3.2 metres. Although it prefers lowland forest and moist savanna habitats, this cobra is highly adaptable and can be found in drier climates within its geographical range. It is a very capable swimmer and is often considered to be semi-aquatic. The forest cobra is a generalist in its feeding habits, having a highly varied diet: anything from large insects to small mammals and other reptiles. This species is alert, nervous and is considered to be a very dangerous snake. When cornered or molested, it will assume the typical cobra warning posture by raising its fore body off the ground, spreading a narrow hood, and hissing loudly. Bites to humans are less common than from other African cobras due to various factors, though a bite from this species is a life-threatening emergency.
Najas graminea, also known as ricefield water-nymph is a species of aquatic plant found in freshwater habitats, especially still or slow-moving waters, like ponds and rice fields. It grows to a maximum length of 30 cm. The flowers are monoecious. The flowering season is from July to September.</ref>
The Senegalese cobra is a species of cobra in the genus Naja that is found in West Africa. This species was long thought to be identical to the Egyptian cobra, but morphological and genetic differences have led to its recognition as a separate species. It differs from Naja haje in normally having more than 23 dorsal scale rows around the neck and a uniformly dark head without any obvious pattern on the supralabial scales.
Naja nigricincta is a species of spitting cobra in the genus Naja belonging to the family Elapidae, which is native to the deserts and drier regions of southern Africa. The species is largely nocturnal, and is often found while crossing roads at night.
Naja christyi, commonly known as the Congo water cobra or Christy's water cobra, is a species of venomous snakes belonging to the family Elapidae. The species is native to Sub-Saharan Africa. This species was formerly in the genus Boulengerina, but more recent research by Wallach et al. has shown that Boulengerina is actually a subgenus and Boulengerina christyi is a synonym of Naja christyi. This species has no known subspecies.