NYC's most elusive snake has a name: Mia

[April 08, 2011]  NEW YORK (AP) -- The name of New York City's most elusive snake is Mia (MEE'-uh) for "missing in action."

The moniker won out over four other finalists Thursday in a contest to name the slippery Bronx Zoo cobra. More than 33,000 nominations were submitted to the Bronx Zoo and New York Daily News for the contest.

The venomous Egyptian cobra went missing two weeks ago and quickly became the stuff of legend. Someone even started pretending to be the cobra on Twitter. The animal was found a week ago in a dark corner of the reptile house.

Other finalists in the naming contest:

• Cleopatra.

• Agnes, which is Greek for pure or holy.

• Amaunet, an ancient Egyptian goddess. It means "the female hidden one."

• Subira (soo-BEE'-ruh), Egyptian for "patient."

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.