Spectacled Cobra (Naja naja (LINNAEUS, 1758))- the taxonomic parent of almost all Asian cobras, before, many of the independent species were just subspecies of spectacled cobras, there are no examples of a more striking rearrangement of the species than the history of studying the taxonomy of the spectacled cobra. Back in the 19th century, there was only one species -Naja najawith 10 subspecies, four of which were found in India:Naja naja naja- Indian subspecies with glasses on the hood;Naja naja kaouthia- cobras with one ring on the hood;Naja naja oxiana(Central Asian cobra);Naja naja sagittifera(andaman cobra). Thanks to the Indian herpetologist Deraniyagala (1945, 1960, 1961), all four subspecies acquired an independent status, and new subspecies were also identified forNaja naja:
Naja naja indusiin the north-west of India, they are "characterized" by the absence of ordinary teeth on the maxillary bone, although normally one should be;Naja naja madrasiensisin the south, it was believed that their poisonous teeth were morphologically sufficiently developed for spitting;Naja naja gangeticain northeastern India, subspecies for no reason, even in the original article;Naja naja bombaya- Central India, distinguished by a single find, is distinguished by the absence of "interlabial" (cuneate) scales;Naja naja karachiensis- southern Pakisat and adjacent territories of India. For the nominative formNaja naja najaconsidered a population of spectacled cobras from Sri Lanka, but all the arguments of Deraniyagala were not weighty enough, many of his works were later ignored by colleagues. In 1984, a temporary subspecies appearedNaja naja polyocellata, which even Deraniyagala called only a special Sri Lankan variation, but not a subspecies, later they decided so.
Now everything is different, but there are studies of cladists, according to which one of the most famous snakes is on the basal of other species. All this is very important in fact, especially for poisonous snakes, as it turned out, each species has its own toxicology, all are very different in the action and strength of the poison, the fight against the consequences of bites differs depending on the type of cobra. Quite a few people have died from the generalization of all Asian cobras into one species, it is enough to mix up the serums. The study of the taxonomy of poisonous snakes leads to the optimization of the process of making antidote serums.
Inhabitsspectacle cobra in the following countries: Pakistan, India (over most of the country), Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, eastern Afghanistan. In India, it is one of the four deadliest snakes, including the Efa (Echis carinatus), Bungar (Bungarus caeruleus) and the chain viper (Daboia russeli), we can safely say that this is one of the most dangerous snakes in the world, albeit not so venomous like taipans, up to 10,000 deaths from the poison of spectacled cobras are recorded per year.
This large snake, often reach two meters (record holders from Sri Lanka), the usual sizes are 100-150 cm (newborns 25-30 cm), a very powerful body, it is easy to distinguish from other species of cobras by the spectacle pattern on a very large hood, however, this sign is very volatile. The standard option is when there are two black spots (their width is two scales) on the back with a light edging, but there can be more spots, or they can be completely absent. The color is also different, there are yellow, gray, reddish and completely black snakes with a light white speck, there are also natural melanists, sometimes they are distinguished into a separate subspeciesNaja naja karachiensis- the Pakistani black cobra, last published under this name in 2013, quite recently, they still remember the works of the famous Indian herpetologist, by the way, the Pakistani population of spectacled cobras have gray children, and the hood does not always have glasses from birth. Why are Pakistani cobras not a separate subspecies? In fact, according to the signs, everything is in order, if you wish, you can calculate the regularity in the number of scales, the color is special, more than, but there is not enough isolation from other spectacled cobras, so everything depends on herpetologists, some of this moment is elevated to a fundamental one, others are ignored, It is worth noting that not all subspecies of snakes are necessarily characterized by the presence of isolation, hybrids are simply recognized at the border of populations. Let's go back to the characteristicNaja naja... A population from Sri Lanka can have up to 20 transverse black stripes on the belly, normally it should be 1-5, the very position of a large "throat" collar is also variable, the error can reach up to 10 scales. The number of rows of dorsal scales in spectacled cobras is very variable, it all depends on the population, in the northwest the number of rows is less, and there are populations with such a large number of dorsal rows that no other Asian cobra has. It can be distinguished from the closest monocled cobras by the presence of one small triangular "interlabial" (cuneate) scale above the fifth of the lower labial, or between the fourth and fifth, and again, just don't be angry, however, there are spectacled cobras without these scales, I wrote above about the subspeciesNaja naja bombaya, it is not recognized, because many spectacled cobras with "interlabial" (cuneate) were later found from its habitats, the trait was attributed to the limits of individual variability. The range of spectacled cobras overlaps with many other former subspecies, the differences are always minimal, most often taxonomists are guided by the pattern on the hood, color on the ventral side and isolation of some species from others, because the number of ventral, dorsal, and caudal scales overlaps strongly for different types given the variability of the spectacled cobra.
The length of poisonous teeth can reach 7.5 mm, spectacled cobras have the longest teeth relative to body size among cobras throughout Asia, in addition to poisonous canines, there are also non-poisonous teeth, spectacled cobras usually have one non-poisonous tooth on the maxilla, but sometimes this rule is not works, and there is no dependence on certain populations, everything is within the limits of individual variability, chaotically, for this reason they refused to isolate subspeciesNaja naja indusi and Naja naja bombaya... In 1% of cobras, two teeth were found at once on the maxillary bone.
An interesting detail, almost all cobras can spit poison, in varying degrees of course, but atNaja naja and Naja oxianain general, there are no devices for this.
For the above reasons, the study of the behavior of spectacled cobras, their lifestyle, diet, the effects of poison and much more turned out to be difficult, because in old publications there is not always a description of the morphology and there are no high-quality images of the objects of study, one has to guess about which of the 10 species "complex of spectacled cobras "there was a speech, but the types are completely different. Now imagine the most famous snake in the world due to the incredible number of errors of morphologists and herpetologists was not studied until 1998!
Spectacled cobras have not accidentally spread so much, they can occupy a variety of niches, they are not found anywhere, from rainforest to rice fields, in arid places, they are often seen near settlements, they move well on water and climb well to low heights. In terms of diet, everything is also very universal, most of it is made up of rats and other small rodents, then in equal number followed by tailless amphibians, lizards (even monitor lizards), snakes, including venomous snakes such as ephas. They manage to learn everything and go everywhere thanks to round-the-clock activity, prefer evening-night time, but can be active during the day.
From April to July, spectacled cobras lay eggs, there can be up to 45 pieces in a clutch, usually less, females remain to guard the nest until the babies hatch, incubation lasts 48-69 days. Interesting fact, for hybrids of monocle cobras and spectacled cobras, the protection of clutch in pairs is characteristic, males also participate in this process.
Everyone knows how cobras defend themselves, spectacles are better than all others in this regard, and all thanks to a hood of record sizes, relative to the body, of course. In the event of a threat, snakes take a characteristic stance on a third of the body, hiss loudly and throws towards the stimulus, it is extremely rare that everything comes to a bite, usually it is head blows, if bites happen, then they are far from always fatal, when protecting spectacled cobras they use little poison, and sometimes it is not injected at all. I remind you that this species does not know how to spit, all publications in this regard were from confusion with other species - former subspeciesNaja naja.
Iin spectacled cobras, it is complex, includes postsynaptic neurotoxin and cardiotoxin, with a bite, muscle paralysis, respiratory arrest, and heartbeat are disturbed. Hyaluronidase in the venom of the cobra is able to increase the permeability of tissues by reducing the viscosity of the mucopolysaccharides that make up their composition, this leads to necrosis and accelerates the spread of the poison through the body of the victim. Symptoms begin in the first 15 minutes, in special cases they appear after two hours. For mice LD50 ("poison strength") 0.45 mg / kg - 0.80 mg / kg, I remind you that the lower this value, the stronger the poison, for taipan the same indicator is in the region of 0.03 mg / kg, for Blanding's boyie it is 2.88 mg / kg. On average, a spectacled cobra injects 169-250 mg of poison in one bite. If serum was used during the time, there is a high probability of complete recovery after a full bite, the probability of death is 15-20%.
I do not recommend keeping it in captivity, but if it so happens that there is a cobra, it is worth considering the following. Juveniles can be kept in small plastic containers of 10 liters, for adults, a large enclosure is required, large enough for the snake to move in it, so that a shelter can be installed (inside a moist substrate, such as moss), a drinker and so that there is the necessary temperature gradient , from 24 to 28 background, at a point up to 33 (day 12 hours), at night you can drop to 22-24, wintering 16-20 degrees for two months a year, the light period is reduced. To be honest, adult spectacled cobras are successfully kept and bred in plastic containers with a volume of about 100 liters, they do not spend any wintering and games with light. Good ventilation is of course essential. As a substrate, mulch, shavings, coconut substrate, coconut chips, pine chips, paper, newspaper, napkins are suitable. The lighting doesn't matter. Humidity at the level of 60%, it is necessary to spray only for the duration of the molts. A captive diet may consist of only rats, do not overdo it, obesity is very dangerous for all snakes.
Synonyms of spectacled cobra in different areas of the range: nag, murkan, naya, nagu pamu, nagara havu, naga pambu, nalla pambu, fetigom, gohra.
In the future, the fixation of the Albino morph of the spectacled cobra, hypomelanists are already known and other interesting variations are still ahead, there is every chance of catching up with the monocles.
Always remember about special safety precautions when working with poisonous snakes, all information on this subject is presented on our forum.
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Have you heard of the famous cobra dance in front of the snake charmer? So, its main participant is the Indian cobra or spectacle snake (lat. Naja naja). It is she who slowly sways from side to side, as if obeying the enchanting music. In fact, the snake, of course, cannot hear anything - it simply does not have ears. But why doesn't she bite the trainer?
Yes, simply because he managed to study his ward well. After all, Indian cobras, in general, are not too aggressive. They prefer to scare the enemy with their threatening posture and hiss. Even if the offender does not leave, but on the contrary, approaches, the snake will not immediately bite him. To begin with, a cobra will simply hit an unwary person with its forehead, and only then can it use its poisonous teeth.
The street magician knows all this very well, therefore, acting carefully, he can even kiss the snake, stroke it or do other tricks with it. Some, however, believe that he first breaks out the cobra's teeth, but this is not so. To "dance" with a toothless snake is to ruin your reputation. And, ultimately, get less profit.
However, the poison indian cobra it is very poisonous, so you should not put such experiments on it. Especially if you meet her in the wild. Spectacled snakes live on a fairly large territory. Their range extends from Central Asia, India and China up to the Philippines and the islands of the Malay Archipelago.
Spectacled snakes are most often found in rice fields, in the jungle, as well as in gardens and parks. In their homeland, Indian cobras are revered by the local population. It is believed that the drawing in the form of rings on the hood was given to them by the Buddha himself. After all, once upon a time, one of their predecessors opened her hood over the sleeping Buddha and covered it from the sun. In gratitude, he awarded all Indian cobras with this kind of protection. And the truth: at the sight of an unusual spectacle pattern on the back, the predator is lost and does not dare to attack from the back.
And these snakes have more than enough enemies. Especially dangerous are the agile, able to deftly avoid the attacks of the Indian cobra. Mongooses not only kill the snakes themselves, but also ravage their clutches. Of course, the reptile protects its offspring with its last bit of strength, but even if it manages to bite the impudent animal, most likely it will avoid death.
The length of an adult Indian cobra is 1.5-2 meters. She has a very spectacular variegated color with a predominance of fiery yellow. On smooth skin, a blue sheen is also noticeable. In general, in different subspecies, the color varies from brown to yellow-gray. Among spectacled snakes, completely black individuals sometimes come across. Young people are easily distinguished by their wide horizontal stripes, which disappear with age.
Indian cobras are caring mothers. They are looking for a suitable warm place for masonry for a long time, and then they desperately defend it. Sometimes a male can be seen next to the female. It is not worth approaching a couple, as the snakes become very aggressive during this period. As a rule, there are one to two dozen eggs in a clutch (rarely up to 45).
The incubation period is 2.5-3 months, after which 32 cm snakes are born. Babies are not so harmless: they are poisonous and completely independent. They feed on small frogs and lizards. A little later they switch to mice, rats and bird eggs.
The exact lifespan of the Indian cobra has not been established. It is assumed that she is able to live up to 20-25 years.
Spectacled cobra is one of the many dangerous and poisonous snakes that live on Earth. Snakes are different: some of them are absolutely harmless, while others are really dangerous. However, people to this day treat all of them with prejudice, since they do not have too much of their appearance. Among the snakes there are such individuals that anyone recognizes - cobras. A striking representative of this species is the Indian cobra, or, as it is also called, the spectacled snake, which is scaly. It originates from the family of asps, and those, in turn, from the genus of real cobras.
What does such a cobra look like?
The spectacled snake can reach up to 180 cm in length. Its head is slightly rounded, and there are several large scutes on its surface. The specimen has two eyes with round pupils, which closely follow what is happening.
The teeth of the Indian cobra are small, which cannot be said about the two canines: they not only differ from the others in their size, but also contain a supply of poison. The snake's body is covered with small scales with a rich color palette: they can be either light yellow, or brown, or even black. As for such individuals at an early age, they have black transverse stripes, which later disappear. The sign by which a cobra can be easily distinguished from other snakes is a pattern on the upper part of its body in the form of glasses. He shows the predators, coming from the rear, that the reptile is, as it were, turned in their direction and warns of an immediate reaction, which more than once saves the life of the snake.
The cobra is not very fast: it moves slowly and awkwardly, but when it comes time to move through the trees at a great height, it does it quite deftly.
Where does the spectacle snake live?
Such reptiles prefer a warm climate: they can easily be found in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, as well as on the east coast of Hindustan by the Indian Ocean.
Representatives of this species live in the fields and rainforest often make their way to residential areas. Sometimes they are seen in ruins, caves and deep ravines, under the roots of spreading trees and even in brushwood. The Indian cobra is able to live even in the mountains at an altitude of 2.5 km above sea level.
How does a spectacle snake live?
This cobra is a threat to living things, including humans. If the poison enters his body, then he can get sick, his nervous system will begin to suffer, the person is gradually paralyzed, after which death occurs in the absence of treatment.
When the snake senses that a predator is approaching it, it hisses loudly and inflates its "hood" due to the expansion of all front ribs, as a result of which a pattern of glasses appears on its back. At this time, the cobra is ready to attack the enemy. If you ignore this alarming signal, then the snake will immediately jump, starting to defend itself: it bites and thereby poisons the enemy. However, she never attacks from behind or surreptitiously, and even if she attacks, she often does not inject poison: this is because she does not want to waste it.
What does a spectacle snake eat?
Despite its poison, the cobra is not too much of a threat to humans: when it sees people, it tries to crawl away. The fact is that it feeds exclusively on small mammals, rodents, chickens and reptiles. Sometimes her diet includes amphibians and birds; she can attack their nests (if they are too low) and steal eggs. It happens like this: first, the snake, through a bite, injects poison into the body of the victim, after which it can swallow it.
The beginning of the mating season for the snake falls in the middle of winter, and already at the end of May, the females begin to lay their first eggs. Usually their number reaches 20 pieces, but sometimes it happens that as many as 45 pieces can lie in the clutch.
The female and the male are together from the beginning of the mating season until the birth of the cubs: they do not incubate eggs, but do not leave future snakes. This is necessary so that the masonry is reliably protected from predators, and they do not break. This period lasts from 70 to 80 days. Once hatched, the cubs can already be deadly, as their teeth contain poison for self-defense. They live for about 30 years, if they do not die earlier due to the attack of predators.
Who is the Indian cobra afraid of?
The spectacled snake has many enemies, the main of which is the mongoose, a small-sized predator that is able to make sharp and quick movements, thereby avoiding its bites. In addition, his sensitivity to the poison of such a snake is much lower than that of other animals. The mongoose attacks the cobra from a jump, turning away and jumping away from its throws, and then easily digs its teeth into its neck.
How does a person use the Indian cobra?
In India, this snake has been elevated to the rank of a revered animal; since ancient times she played big role in myths and legends, where colossal magical powers were attributed to her.Concerning modern world then now the Indian cobra is used as entertainment for tourists. The main thing is to know all the habits of a snake and study its behavior - this is the only way to avoid the risk of being poisoned! This field is especially popular with spellcasters who use various musical instruments for their work - most often a pipe. From the outside, it seems that the snake begins to dance to the sound of music, but this is not so - it has no hearing organs, and the cobra does not hear anything, from which it follows that during this time it prepares for an attack, expanding its ribs. When a pattern of glasses appears on its back, it means that the snake becomes too dangerous to continue observing, and the caster locks the cage with a quick movement.
The Latin name of the king cobra - Ophiophagus hannah - translates as "eating a snake", but it does not belong to the true cobras - representatives of the genus Naja, therefore this snake was singled out as an independent species.
The size and appearance of the king cobra truly inspire respect and fear. Still, because the average length of her body is 3-4 meters, but there are individuals 5-5.5 meters long!
It is not difficult to recognize this snake. A distinctive feature of the royal cobra is a narrow hood in the nape and neck region, decorated with 6 large dark shields in the form of a semicircle. The main color of the snake is brown or greenish brown. It alternates with dark rings encircling the entire body.
The queen of all snakes has a vast habitat that stretches from India to the Philippines (South India, Pakistan, South China, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Great Sunda Islands and the Philippines).
For no particular reason, the "queen" does not like to show herself. She prefers to keep to dark caves or holes, of which there are a great many in the jungle.
They also excellently climb trees and swim well, but still prefer to spend most of their time on the ground. During the capture of prey or pursuit of the enemy, the snake can move quickly. Therefore, the chances of escape from the snake by flight are not so great. You will learn about the reasons for such aggressiveness a little below. V Lately there is a tendency to relocate king cobras closer to human habitation, and there is an explanation for this.
Firstly, such a neighborhood often occurs during the rainy season and, secondly, the extensive spread of agricultural production in Asian countries leads to the deforestation of forests that are the natural habitat of these snakes. In addition to this, cobras are often spotted in croplands where rodents live, and where rodents are, there are also small snakes - the main food of the king cobra.
Her favorite food is rat snakes. But at any other opportunity, she is not averse to hunting other species, including poisonous ones. In cases of their deficiency, the "queen" can switch to large lizards, but this does not happen so often.
A potent poison with a neurotoxic effect helps the snake quickly cope with its prey. It causes paralysis of the respiratory muscles, which leads to respiratory arrest and, as a result, death. The amount of poison injected into the victim during a bite is about 6-7 ml. Such a dose can be fatal even for an elephant, what can we say about a person.
Despite the highly toxic poison and aggressiveness, deaths from king cobra bites are rare. This is due to the fact that the snake will not waste its "weapon" in vain. First of all, it is necessary for hunting, and in order to intimidate a person, K. cobra often inflicts "blank bites". They occur without the injection of poison or very little to be fatal. If a person received a full-fledged bite, then he has no more than half an hour to live. He can only be saved by the timely introduction of an antidote - antivenin.
Interestingly, the royal cobras themselves have developed immunity to their poison, therefore, during the "fights" for the female during the mating season, none of the cavaliers dies from the bites of an opponent.
January is the beginning of the mating season, when the male goes in search of the female. If there are several applicants, then ritual battles take place. The winner gets the main prize - a female. Then there is a short acquaintance, during which the male is convinced that the female does not pose a danger to him, and the final stage of mating games begins - mating.
King Cobra- one of the few snakes who are engaged in building a nest for their eggs. It is a large pile of rotting foliage, located on a small hill (so as not to flood too much during tropical downpours). The female lays there from 20 to 40 eggs, and then constantly maintains a certain temperature in it (from 25 to 29 C °).
King Cobra or Hamadryad (Latin Ophiophagus hannah) (English King Cobra)
After laying the eggs, the female becomes very aggressive. She guards them around the clock and is ready to rush at anyone who passes by her "treasury". Whether it's a small harmless animal or an elephant. As a result, she is often credited with aggressive behavior and attack for no apparent reason, although all its aggressiveness is most often associated with the close location of the nest. In addition, during this period, the toxicity of her poison increases, which leads to even more cases of death from her bites.
The incubation period lasts about 3 months, after which small, but already highly poisonous cubs hatch into the world. Before that, the female goes in search of food so as not to eat her children out of hunger. As a result, out of 20-40 baby snakes only 2-4 reach adult life.
In India, K. cobra is considered a sacred animal, and her killing is punishable not only by religion, but also by law. Since 1972, there has been a law prohibiting killing cobras unless absolutely necessary. The punishment is imprisonment for up to 3 years.
Images of K. cobra can often be seen in temples. Hindus believe that she understands mantras - sacred spells. According to their faith, this snake has purity and holiness and brings wealth to the house.
Once a year, a holiday dedicated to the royal cobra - Nag-panchami is celebrated. On this day, Hindus bring snakes from the forest and release them in temples or right on the streets. Daredevils put them on their hands, necks, wrap them around their heads. And all these tricks with animals go unpunished. According to Indian beliefs, snakes do not bite anyone on this day. After the end of the holiday, all the cobras are taken back to the forest.
King cobras live for about 30 years and are constantly growing throughout this period.
Cobra is the general name for various types of poisonous snakes from the Asp family (lat. Elapidae), not united by a common taxonomic unit. Most of these reptiles belong to the genus Real Cobras (lat. Naja).
The name "cobra" appeared in the 16th century, when during the "history of great geographical discoveries" the Portuguese, moving to India, first met a spectacled snake. They named her Cobra de Capello("A snake in a hat"). Following their example, British travelers and merchants began to call all snakes "with a hood" cobras.
Cobra - description and photo. What does a cobra look like?
The length of the cobra depends on the age of the reptile. These snakes grow throughout their lives, and the longer they exist, the larger they get.
From the recorded records it is known that the smallest cobra is the Mozambican (lat. Najamossambica), the average length of an adult reptile is 0.9–1.05 m, with a maximum length of up to 1.54 m. The largest cobra in the world is the king cobra (lat. Ophiophagus hannah) reaching maximum size at 5.85 meters and a mass of more than 12 kg.
On the left is the Mozambican cobra, on the right is the king cobra. Photo credits (from left to right): Bernard DUPONT, CC BY-SA 2.0; Michael Allen Smith, CC BY-SA 2.0
When calm, cobras are difficult to distinguish from other snakes. When irritated, they assume a characteristic posture: they raise the upper part of the body high above the ground, expand the cervical and partially trunk regions, creating the illusion of volume.
Thanks to the elastic muscles, 8 pairs of reptile ribs expand and form the so-called hood, which distinguishes cobras from other snakes. By the way, it is thanks to the hood that cobras scare off the enemy.
Coloration of cobra wears adaptive character... Desert species are sandy-yellow in color, woody ones have a greenish color, the inhabitants of places overgrown with plants are motley. In the tropics, where plants of a variety of colors are found, vivid species live: coral cobra (lat. Aspidelaps lubricus) and a red spitting cobra (lat. Naja pallida). Spectacled snake (lat. Naja naja) is decorated with light circles on the dorsal side of the upper body. Characteristic feature cobras are the presence of more or less pronounced transverse dark stripes, more noticeable on the neck.
From left to right: coral cobra (Latin Aspidelaps lubricus), red spitting cobra (Latin Naja pallida), spectacle snake (Latin Naja naja). Photo credits (from left to right): Ryanvanhuyssteen, CC BY-SA 3.0; Pogrebnoj-Alexandroff, CC BY 2.5; Jayendra Chiplunkar, CC BY-SA 3.0
The head of the cobra is rounded in front, flat from above, covered with shields that are absent on the cheekbones. Having no neck part, it smoothly passes into the body. The scales on the back of the reptile are smooth, and the ventral side is covered with strongly expanded light scutes.
The eyes of the cobra are dark, small and unblinking, covered with a thin transparent film formed when the eyelids grow together. They are well protected from dust and moisture loss, but because of this coating, the cobra's vision is not very clear. The film of the eyes comes off along with the skin during shedding.
In daytime snakes, such as cobras, the pupil of the eye is round.
The upper jaw of the snake is armed with rather large (6 mm in the Central Asian species), sharp, poisonous tubular teeth. The cobra's teeth are not long enough, and therefore the reptiles are forced to hold the victim tightly with them in order to inflict several bites at once. According to the structure of the poisonous apparatus, representatives of the asp family belong to the anteroposcular (proteroglyph) snakes. Their poisonous teeth are located in the front part of the narrow upper jaw, a "seam" is visible on their outer surface, and the poison flows down not along the groove outside, but inside the tooth along the venom-conducting canal. The teeth sit motionless in the jawbone. Due to their convenient location and perfect venom-producing apparatus, a cobra bite is deadly.
Behind these teeth, poisonous snakes have others that replace the main ones when they are damaged. There are a total of 3-5 pairs of teeth on the upper jaw of cobras. They are sharp, thin, curved back and are not intended for tearing and chewing prey. Cobras swallow their prey whole.
The most important sense organ for snakes is a chemical analyzer (Jacobson's organ, which has two holes in the upper palate of a reptile) in combination with a tongue. The long, narrow, forked tongue of the cobra protrudes out, flutters in the air or probes nearby objects and again hides in the semicircular notch of the upper jaw leading to Jacobson's organ. This is how the animal analyzes chemical composition everything that is nearby or at a distance, identifies prey, even if there is a small fraction of its substances in the air. This organ is very sensitive, with its help the snake quickly and accurately finds a victim, a mating partner or water supplies.
Cobras have a well-developed sense of smell. Their nostrils are located on the sides of the front of the skull. They do not have an external ear, and in the understanding to which we are accustomed, cobras are deaf, since they do not perceive air vibrations. But due to the development of the inner ear, they pick up even the smallest vibrations of the soil. Snakes do not react to the cries of a person, but they perfectly notice his stomp.
Cobras molt 4 to 6 times a year and grow all their lives. Molting lasts about 10 days. During this time, the snakes hide in shelters, as their body becomes vulnerable.
Where do cobras live?
Snakes with a "hood" - the inhabitants of the Old World (Asia, Africa). They are extremely thermophilic and cannot exist where the snow cover forms. The exception is the Central Asian cobra: in the north, its habitat includes parts of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. In Africa, cobras are found throughout the continent. Cobras also live in South, West, East and Central Asia, in the Philippine and Sunda Islands. They prefer arid places: savannas, deserts, semi-deserts. Less commonly found in tropical forests, in the mountains up to an altitude of 2400 m, in river valleys. Cobras do not live in Russia.
Cobras are very mobile snakes, they can crawl through trees and swim. They are active mainly during the day, but in the deserts they are nocturnal. The average speed of a cobra is 6 km per hour. She will not be able to catch up with a fleeing person, but this is a hypothetical statement, since cobras never chase people. A man can catch up with a snake quite easily.
What does a cobra eat?
Most cobras are predators, they eat amphibians (,), birds (terrestrial nesting small passerines, nightjars), reptiles (more often than others, less often), mammals (rodents), fish. They can eat birds' eggs. Some species do not refuse carrion.
Breeding cobras
Cobras breed once a year. Depending on the climatic zone, in which they live, the period of their breeding can begin both in spring and in winter months... For example, in the king cobra, the mating period takes place in January-February. Males fight for the female, but do not bite each other. A male cobra can even eat a female if she was fertilized by someone before him. Mating is preceded by courtship, during which the male is convinced that the female is not going to dine with them (at the king cobra).
Mating of reptiles continues for an hour. After 1-3 months most of Cobras (oviparous) lays eggs, the number of which differs depending on the species and can be equal to either 8 or 80 pieces. Only one species, the collar cobra, is a viviparous animal. She brings up to 60 live cubs at a time.
Ovoviviparous cobras lay their eggs in a nest they built of leaves and branches (Indian and king cobras), in hollows, in crevices between stones. The diameter of the nest of the king cobra can reach 5 meters; the snake builds it on a hill so that rainwater does not flood the masonry. The temperature of 24-26 degrees Celsius required for the development of juveniles is maintained by an optimal volume of decaying leaves.
In almost all species of cobras, a female, and sometimes a male, usually protects future offspring until they hatch. Immediately before the appearance of the babies, parents crawl away from them so that after a long hunger strike they themselves do not eat them.
The cubs that have appeared are already completely similar to representatives of their genus and species, and are also poisonous. The threat pose in cobras is a congenital phenomenon, and snakes that have just emerged from their eggs freeze at the sight of danger, just like adults. On the first day, babies feed on the remains of egg yolks, preserved after hatching. Because of their size, at first, small cobras hunt only small prey, and are often content with insects.
How long do cobras live?
The lifespan of cobras in nature has not been established, but some species have been known to live up to 29 years. In terrariums, they live up to 14-26 years.
Cobra classification
There are 37 species of snakes in the world that are capable of expanding their neck in the form of a hood. All of them belong to the Aspid family, but to different genera. Below is the classification of cobras according to the site reptile-database.org (from 21/03/2018):
The Aspidov family (lat. Elapidae)
- Genus Collar cobras (lat. Hemachatus)
- Collar cobra species (lat. Hemachatus haemachatus)
- Genus Shield cobras (lat. Aspidelaps)
- Species South African shield cobra (lat. Aspidelaps lubricus)
- Species Common carapace cobra (lat. Aspidelaps scutatus)
- Genus Royal Cobras (lat. Ophiophagus)
- View of the King Cobra (hamadryad) (lat. Ophiophagus hannah)
- Genus Forest cobras, or tree cobras (lat. Pseudohaje)
- Oriental tree cobra species (lat. Pseudohaje goldii)
- View Western tree cobra, or black tree cobra (lat. Pseudohajenigra)
- Genus Desert Cobras (lat. Walterinnesia)
- View of the Egyptian Desert Cobra (lat. Walterinnesia aegyptia)
- View Walterinnesia morgani
- Genus Cobra (or Real Cobras) (lat. Naja)
- View of the Angolan cobra (lat. Naja anchietae)
- View Ringed water cobra (lat. Naja annulata)
- View of the Striped Egyptian Cobra (lat. Naja annulifera)
- View Arabian cobra (lat. Naja arabica)
- View Large brown spitting cobra (lat. Naja ashei)
- View of the Chinese cobra (lat. Naja atra)
- View of Christie's Water Cobra (lat. Naja christyi)
- Type Egyptian cobra (lat. Naja haje)
- View Monocle cobra (lat. Naja kaouthia)
- View Mali cobra, West African spitting cobra (lat. Naja katiensis)
- View of Mandalay Spitting Cobra (lat. Naja mandalayensis)
- View Black and white cobra (lat. Naja melanoleuca)
- View of the Mozambican cobra (lat. Naja mossambica)
- View Naja multifasciata
- View of the Indian cobra, spectacle snake (lat. Naja naja)
- View of the Western Spitting Cobra (lat. Naja nigricincta)
- View of the Cape Cobra (lat. Naja nivea)
- View of the Black-necked Cobra (lat. Naja nigricollis)
- View of the Nubian Spitting Cobra (lat. Naja nubiae)
- View Central Asian cobra (lat. Naja oxiana)
- View Red cobra, or red spitting cobra (lat. Naja pallida)
- View Naja peroescobari
- View of the Philippine cobra (lat. Naja philippinensis)
- View Andaman cobra (lat. Naja sagittifera)
- View of the South Philippine cobra, Samara cobra, or Peters' cobra (lat. Naja samarensis)
- Senegalese cobra species (lat. Naja senegalensis)
- View Siamese cobra, Indo-Chinese spitting cobra (lat. Naja siamensis)
- View of the Spitting Indian Cobra (lat. Naja sputatrix)
- View Sumatran cobra (lat. Naja sumatrana)
Cobra species, names and photos
- King cobra (hamadryad) (lat. Ophiophagus hannah ) Is the largest venomous snake in the world. Many herpetologists believe that the concept of the king cobra includes several subspecies, since this reptile is very widespread. The snake lives in Southeast and South Asia. Breeds in India south of the Himalayas, southern China to the island of Hainan, Bhutan, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Pakistan, Singapore, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines. It is found in forests with dense undergrowth and grass cover, less often it crawls near human habitation. The size of an adult king cobra is on average 3-4 meters, some individuals grow up to 5.85 meters in length. The average weight of the king cobra is 6 kilograms, but large individuals can weigh more than 12 kg. The adult snake has a dark olive or brown body with or without light oblique transverse rings, and a dark olive to black tail. Juveniles are usually dark brown or black with white or yellowish transverse stripes. The abdomen of the snake is light cream or yellowish in color. A distinctive feature of the royal cobra is an additional 6 shields on the back of the head, differing in color.
The king cobra spends most of the time on the ground, although it successfully climbs trees and dexterously swims. She is active during the day, usually hunts for her own kind, eating both poisonous and non-venomous snakes(cobras, boygs, kraits, keffiys, snakes), sometimes the cobra also eats its cubs. Only occasionally for a change can a lizard bite.
This species is oviparous. First, the female builds a "nest" by raking leaves and branches in a heap with the front part of her body. There she lays eggs and covers them with rotting foliage from above. She herself is placed next to her, jealously guarding the future offspring from anyone who, through imprudence, dares to approach him. Sometimes the father is also involved in the protection. Cubs are born 50 cm in size, with shiny skin, as if tied with a yellow-white ribbon.
The poison of the king cobra is very strong: they even die from its bite. A person who has been bitten by a king cobra can die within 30 minutes. The reptile actively warns approaching enemies, emitting a piercing hissing hiss, assuming the "pose of a cobra", but at the same time rising above other cobras by 1 meter and not swinging from side to side (royally). If a person who has noticed the threatening pose of a snake freezes in place, the cobra will calm down and crawl away. The snake is impatient and not alert only if someone is near its nest.
- Spectacled snake (Indian cobra) (lat. Naja naja ) lives in Asian countries: Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal, Bhutan, South China.
The length of the snake is from 1.5 to 2 m, the weight reaches 5-6 kg. She has a head rounded in front, without a noticeable neck interception, passing into a torso, covered with smooth scales. The Indian cobra is colored quite brightly, although the color and pattern of populations living in different places can be very different. There are yellow-gray, black and brown individuals. The ventral portion can be yellowish brown or light gray. Juveniles are adorned with dark transverse stripes, at first turning pale with age, then disappearing altogether.
A distinctive feature of the Indian cobra is a white or milky pattern on the upper side of the body, which becomes noticeable only during the opening of the hood - these are ring-shaped spots that resemble eyes or glasses. Such a device helps the cobra to avoid the attack of predators from behind.
- Central Asian cobra (lat. Naja oxiana) found in Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Iran, Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan. It takes refuge among stones, in holes of rodents, in gorges, among rare vegetation, near rivers, in the ruins of anthropogenic buildings. Lives in the depths of dry deserts.
This venomous reptile reaches 1.8 meters in size and is distinguished by the absence of a pattern in the form of glasses on the dorsal side of the neck .. The color of the dorsal part of the cobra varies from dark brown to light beige, the belly of the snake is yellowish with dark transverse stripes, narrower and brighter in young individuals. As the reptile matures, the stripes on the abdominal part are replaced by spots or specks. The species does not form large groups, and even in spring more than 2-3 individuals cannot be found in one area. In spring, under favorable conditions, Central Asian cobras hunt during the day. In hot areas, they are only noticeable in cool mornings and evenings. In autumn they can be seen much less often, but at this time of the year they are active during the day. The cobra hunts for birds, amphibians, small rodents, reptiles (lizards, boa constrictors, ef). She also eats bird eggs. The mating season of the snake begins in the spring, and in July the cobra lays 8-12 eggs 35 mm long. In September, fry 30 cm in size appear from them.
The venom of the Central Asian cobra has a pronounced neurotoxic effect. An animal bitten by it becomes lethargic, then it has convulsions, breathing quickens. Death occurs as a result of lung paralysis. But the cobra rarely bites, only being in a hopeless position. At first, she always takes a warning demonstrative pose, hisses and allows the attacker to leave. Even if the attacker does not retreat, she first makes a false bite - quickly rushes and hits the enemy with her muzzle with her mouth tightly closed. So she protects her valuable teeth from possible breakage and protects poison for real prey.
- Spitting Indian cobra (lat. Naja sputatrix) lives in Indonesia (in the Lesser Sunda Islands: Java, Bali, Sulawesi, Lombok, Sumbawa, Flores, Komodo, Alor, Lomblin).
She has a wide head with a neck grip, a short muzzle with large nostrils and rather large eyes. The body color is monochromatic - black, dark gray or brown. The hood is light on the ventral side. The average length of the snake is 1.3 m, the cobra weighs a little less than 3 kg.
The snake throws poison towards the attacker at a distance of up to 2 meters, trying to get into his eyes. The poisonous teeth of a spitting cobra have a specific structure. The outer opening of their venom duct is directed forward, not downward. The reptile injects venom through the strong contraction of specialized muscles. The jet hits the target very accurately. The reptile uses this method of defense only for defense against large enemies. The poison of the cobra that gets into the eyes provokes a clouding of the outer shell of the eye and in this way stops the attacker. If the eyes are not rinsed immediately with water, complete loss of vision may occur.
- Egyptian cobra, gaya, or real adder (lat. Naja haje) lives in northern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula (in Yemen). Lives in mountains, deserts, steppes and near human settlements.
A real snake grows up to 2.5 meters and weighs 3 kg, its expanded "hood" is much narrower than that of the Indian cobra. The color of the dorsal side of the cobra is monochromatic - dark brown, red-brown, gray-brown or light yellow, with a light creamy belly side. Several wide dark stripes on the neck become visible when the snake adopts a warning pose. Young reptiles are brighter and decorated with wide light yellow and dark brown rings.
Gaia is active during the day; the cobra feeds on small mammals, reptiles, amphibians and birds. The snake can swim and climb trees.
- Black-necked (black-necked) cobra (lat. Naja nigricollis) known for the ability to accurately shoot poison in the eyes of the attacker. The snake lives in the southern tropical zone of Africa - from Senegal to Somalia and to Angola in the southeast.
The body length reaches 2 meters, the weight of the cobra reaches 4 kg. Coloring - from light brown to dark brown, sometimes with indistinct transverse stripes. The neck and throat are black, often with a transverse white stripe.
In an irritated state, the cobra can shoot poison up to 28 times in a row, ejecting a portion of 3.7 mg. She accurately hits the target, but sometimes confuses shiny objects with her eyes - buckles of trousers, watch dials, etc. Black-necked cobra venom does not cause inflammation, but if it gets into the eyes, it will provide temporary loss of vision. Studying the process of throwing out poison on this species of cobras, scientists have found that during the contraction of special muscles, the entrance to the trachea of the reptile is also closed. This ensures a directed flight of the jet, which is not displaced by the air flow.
The cobra hunts for small rodents, lizards, reptiles and birds. Since she lives in a hot region of the planet, she is more active at night, during the day she hides in hollows of trees, termite mounds, animal burrows. This is an oviparous animal, in a clutch there can be from 8 to 20 eggs.
- Black and white cobra (lat. Naja melanoleuca) lives in Central and West Africa: from Ethiopia and Somalia in the east to Senegal, Guinea and Gabon in the west, from Mozambique, Angola, Zambia and Zimbabwe in the south to Mali, Chad and Niger in the north. Lives in the forest, savannah, in the mountains up to an altitude of 2800 meters above sea level. Can climb trees.
The ventral side of the body of this species of cobra is yellow with black stripes and irregular spots scattered over it. Adults are dark brown or brown with a gray metallic sheen and black tail. Young reptiles are dark-colored with light transverse thin stripes. The length of the cobra often reaches 2 meters, less often individuals of 2.7 m are found.
A reptile does not spit poison. In nature, the snake lives for about 12 years, and a record lifespan of a cobra for a period of 29 years has also been recorded. The reptile is active during the day, feeding on fish, rodents, amphibians, birds, monitor lizards and other lizards. Its poison is the second most powerful snake in Africa after the venom of the Cape Cobra. She lays up to 26 eggs in animal burrows, tree hollows. Juveniles 35-40 cm long appear after 55-70 days.
- Cape cobra (lat. Naja nivea) lives in Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Botswana. Prefers desert, steppe and mountain landscapes, often settles near water bodies.
It is a venomous snake, often decorated with a transverse brown stripe on the underside of its neck. The color of the cobra can be amber yellow, light yellow, bronze, brown, copper, solid or speckled. The length of its body varies from 1.2 to 1.5 m, although there are individuals up to 1.8 m and more in size. In addition to live prey, it eats carrion. It hunts during the day, but on hot days it is active in the evenings, it can crawl into people's homes in search of and. Its poison is considered the most powerful in Africa. The female lays up to 20 eggs.
- Ringed water cobra (lat. Naja annulata) Is a venomous animal with a small head and dense body up to 2.7 m long and weighing 3 kg. The average length of an adult reptile varies between 1.4 and 2.2 m. The dorsal side of the reptile is yellowish brown, covered with transverse light stripes. Diving to a depth of 25 meters, she catches fish and eats mainly only them. Less commonly it feeds on frogs, toads and other amphibians. It can stay under water for up to 10 minutes.
The ringed water cobra lives in Cameroon, Gabon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Tanzania, Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda, Burundi, Zambia, Angola. The snake's habitat includes rivers and lakes, where it spends most of its time, as well as nearby areas: shrub and tree-covered banks and savannahs.
- Collar cobra (lat. Hemachatus haemachatus) separated into a separate genus due to some important distinctive features. Unlike other cobras, it has no other teeth behind its venomous teeth. It is not a very long snake, reaching a maximum of 1.5 m, with a dark brown or black dorsal part, along which intermittent oblique-transverse stripes are scattered. There are often darker species of reptile, but the head and bottom of the neck of this reptile are always completely black, and there are transverse black and yellowish-cream stripes on the belly. Almost completely black species always have a light stripe on the neck. The hood of this venomous snake is rather narrow.
Collared cobra lives in South Africa(Zimbabwe, Lesotho, South Africa, Swaziland). Here, for her ability to spit poison, she was nicknamed "spui-slang" - a spitting snake.
- Monocle cobra (lat. Naja kaouthia) Is an oviparous snake found in China, Cambodia, Myanmar, India, Thailand, Laos, Malaysia, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Vietnam, and is also believed to be found in Nepal. The reptile swims well, settles both on plains, in forests and fields, and in mountainous areas, crawls into pastures and rice plantations, and can live near cities and villages. The animal is active both in the daytime and at night, but at the same time prefers to hunt at night.
On the hood of a poisonous snake, there is only one light circle, and not two, like other spectacled snakes. The average length of the reptile is 1.2-1.5 m, the maximum length is 2.1 m. There are individuals with cream-gray, yellow and black coloration. Monocle cobra has a rather nervous and aggressive character.
- Siamese cobra (lat. Naja siamensis) lives in Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos. According to some reports, it is also found in Myanmar. The reptile settles in lowlands, hills, plains and forests, sometimes approaching a person's dwelling.
The average size of a poisonous snake is 1.2-1.3 m, the maximum is 1.6 m. Within the species, variability in the color of reptiles is observed. In eastern Thailand, Siamese cobras are uniformly olive, greenish or light brown. In the center of the country, there is a population with a contrasting longitudinal or transverse black and white color in the form of alternating stripes. In the west of Thailand, this species of cobra is black in color. The pattern on the hood is also somewhat different. It can be V-shaped or U-shaped.
The Siamese cobra is oviparous and is active at night.
- South African shield cobra (lat. Aspidelaps lubricus) - an inhabitant of the south of Angola, Namibia and the Cape province of South Africa.
It is a venomous oviparous snake with a length of 0.45 to 0.7 m, with a rounded head covered in front from above with large triangular shields. The head of the cobra is red with two black stripes, one of which runs from the nostrils to the crown, branching off to the eyes, the other, transverse, crosses the first at the level of the neck. The body of the cobra is pink, yellowish or orange in color, crossed by transverse black rings.
The South African shield cobra is a nocturnal animal that settles in burrows or under rocks, preferring semi-desert and sandy areas. Cobra food is small vertebrates, mainly reptiles.
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