Indian cobra. Indian spectacled cobra: behavioral features, description. Species: Naja naja = Indian cobra, spectacled snake

Species: Naja naja = Indian cobra, spectacled snake

Indian cobra, or spectacled snake (Naja naja), called in India tshinta-negu, nalla-pamba, naga, in Burma, mue-science, 1.4-1.81 m long. It is fiery yellow in color, in certain lighting with ash-blue glitter; this color seems, however, pale, since the intervals between the scales are light yellow or white, and often the corners of individual scales are of the same color. On the back of the head, the light yellow or white color predominates so much that the darker one appears only in the form of specks, and it is in this place that a pattern resembling glasses clearly stands out. These spectacles are bordered by two black lines and are usually much lighter than the surrounding parts, while the places corresponding to the lenses of the spectacles are either pure black or represent a light ocular spot surrounded by a dark edge. The ventral side is dirty white and often has wide black transverse stripes on the anterior third of the body. But often there are also specimens that are black above, blackish-brown below, those that are olive-brown both above and below, and finally, those that are painted grayish above, whitish below; in addition, in some localities this species does not have a conspicuous pattern on the back of the head at all. The main differences from related species are the absence of large scutes behind the occipital ones, the number of rows of scales in the middle of the body, of which there are 19-23 here, and the insignificant height of the sixth labial.

The spectacled snake is distributed throughout India, southern China, Burma, Siam, the Malay Peninsula, the large Sunda Islands with the exception of Sulawesi, the Andaman Islands and Ceylon, and in the west across Afghanistan, northeastern parts of Persia and southern regions of Turkmenistan to the Caspian Sea. In the Himalayas, it is found up to a height of 2,500 m. Like most other snakes, it does not seem to be associated with a specific area, on the contrary, it settles wherever it finds a comfortable shelter and enough food. Her favorite home is abandoned mounds of termites, ruins, heaps of stones and wood, holes in clay walls and similar heaps of rubbish, containing holes and hidden gaps that serve as a refuge for the spectacled snake. Tennent points out that in Ceylon it, along with the so-called big-eyed snake (Ptyas mucosus), represents the only snakes that do not avoid the proximity of human dwellings. She is attracted here by the sewage ditches, and perhaps also by the prey she expects to get here, namely rats, mice and small chickens.

Often, a flood also forces her to look for the overlying parts of the country that are not flooded with water, and at the same time the huts built there. As long as she is not disturbed, she usually lies lazily and sluggishly in front of the entrance to her dwelling, and when a person appears, as a rule, she hides hastily and only when driven to extremes rushes at the attacker. If she is not irritated, for example, if she goes hunting, she crawls along the ground writhing, with her head barely raised and her neck not extended; if she is irritated or even frightened, she immediately assumes the position characteristic of this genus, preparing for an attack. Although it is a diurnal snake, it avoids heat and generally the burning rays of the sun and begins hunting only in the late afternoon hours and often continues to crawl late at night, and therefore some authors unequivocally consider it a nocturnal animal.

All observers call her movements slow, but she is more dexterous than they think: she not only knows how to swim, but to a certain extent she can also climb. One cobra, which fell into the moat and could not climb its steep walls, swam easily and freely for several hours, holding its head and neck shield above the water; others even volunteered to go to sea. While the Wellington, a government fishing-surveying vessel, was at anchor in Coudremel Bay about a quarter of a mile from shore, one day, about an hour before sunset, a spectacled snake was sighted from her. She sailed straight for the ship, and when she approached 12 m, the sailors began to throw pieces of wood and other objects at her and forced her to turn towards the shore. The next morning, the animal's footprint was found on the shore where it emerged from the water, and they tracked it to the nearby jungle. Later, one cobra was found and killed on the same ship, which could only get on it along the anchor chain; this proves that she can climb well. Tennent heard that one spectacled snake was found in the top of a coconut tree; "she was attracted, as they said, by the palm juice that oozed at this time"; in reality, she probably climbed a palm tree to hunt birds or rob nests. They are often seen on the roofs of houses.

The food of the cobra consists exclusively of small animals and, it seems, mainly of reptiles and amphibians, at least Tennent indicates as prey that she pursues, lizards, frogs and toads, Fairer, in addition, also fish and insects. That it must be dangerous for young chickens, mice, and rats is already sufficiently clear from the data I have given of the first of the above-named investigators; that she also robs birds' nests and especially looks for eggs of domestic birds in chicken coops and pigeon houses, Fairer mentions. She has little interest in other snakes and does not seem to pursue them. She drinks a lot, but can also endure thirst for a long time without harm, according to observations on captive cobras, for several weeks and even months.

Regarding the reproduction of the cobra, Fairer says that it lays up to 18 oblong white soft-shelled eggs, which are equal in size to the eggs of a domestic pigeon. Finson increases this number to 12-20. The Indians tell the same thing about the spectacled snake that the ancients say about the Egyptian cobra related to it: that the male and the female show a certain mutual affection, that where you catch one cobra, for the most part, soon after you notice another, etc., one in a word, that there is a mating life among spectacled snakes, and that both sexes strongly stick together. Tennent remarks that he has twice had occasion to make observations which seem to corroborate this account. One adult cobra was killed in the bath of the government house in Colombo, and "her companion" was found the next day in the same place; in the same way, when a cobra fell into the moat, on the same morning its “comrade” was found in the neighboring moat. Whether this happened precisely during the mating period and, therefore, is explained in a very natural way, Tennent does not say anything about this, and therefore we do not know how much this can be considered a matter of chance. Concerning the cubs, the Singhalese say that they become poisonous no earlier than the 13th day, when the first molt occurs.

The length of the cobra is from 1.5 to 2 meters. The reptile lives in Central Asia.In India, the spectacled snake is an object of reverent reverence and even almost superstitious fear..Snake got its name from the two spots that are visible on its swollen hood.

Other names

Naja naja - lat. the name of a species of Indian cobra.
Cobra - General English, French, Italian, Spanish. name of the genus cobra
Spectacle snake.

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia (animals)
Type: Chordata
Class: Reptilia (reptiles)
Order: Squamata (scaly)
Suborder: Serpentes (snakes)
Family: Elipidae (asps)
Genus: Naja (real cobras)
Species: Naja naja (Indian cobra or spectacled snake)
Subspecies: monocle cobra (Naja naja kaouthia), Central Asian cobra (Naja naja oxiana), Indian spitting cobra (Naja naja sputatrix), blind cobra (Naja naja coeca), Taiwanese cobra (Naja naja atra) and others, about 10 subspecies are known in total .

habitation

Most often, the Indian cobra is found in South Asia and the African continent. The monocle cobra subspecies, so called because of the pattern on the hood in the form of a single ring, lives in the southern part of Central Asia, in eastern Iran, in Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and on the island Sri Lanka. Also, the habitat of this snake spreads throughout Southeast Asia, reaching South China and the island of Taiwan and covering all the Sunda and Philippine Islands. The latitudes of our country are characterized by a subspecies of the Central Asian cobra, which inhabits the territories of southern Turkmenistan, southern Uzbekistan and southwestern Tajikistan. The Central Asian subspecies of the Indian cobra prefers to live in the foothills, not rising high, but living on hills with sparse grassy vegetation and many holes and stone blockages where you can hide. In Central Asia, the Indian cobra chooses places near water or mountain gorges. And she also willingly settles near human habitation, for example, in the ruins of old houses, in cemeteries and even in populated villages. However, it can be found with the same success in the arid territories of the Asian deserts far from water bodies. Actually, the Indian cobra, that is, its nominal subspecies that lives in India, Ceylon and Pakistan, chooses a variety of places to live - the ruins of buildings, tree roots, termite mounds and ravines. She is also not afraid of the closeness of a person. The Indian cobra can settle in the city, and in the garden, and in the rice field, and in the mountains up to 2700 meters above sea level. The spitting Indian cobra is a resident of Southeast Asia, the Lesser Sunda and Philippine Islands, in particular, the islands of Java and Celebes. Other subspecies that can "shoot" poison are found in the Malay Islands.

Description

The Indian cobra owes many legends and stories, including its amazing appearance. She is very colorful. The predominant color is bright yellow with a bluish tinge, visible in sunlight. In different subspecies of the snake, the body color can vary from yellow-gray to brown, and completely black snakes come across. The ventral part of the body is noticeably lighter - yellow-brown or gray. In young Indian cobras, horizontal wide dark stripes are visible on the skin. As the snake matures, they disappear. The body length of the Indian cobra is one and a half - two meters. Its rounded and slightly flattened head is integral with the body. The eyes of the Indian cobra are medium-sized, with a round pupil. Large skin shields are located on the head, and the body is long and thinning towards the tail, completely covered with smooth, gleaming scales.
The Indian cobra earned the nickname of the spectacle snake due to the light pattern on the back of the neck, reminiscent of antique glasses. When the snake is frightened or defensive, it raises the front of the torso to a vertical position, and the head of the cobra balances against the enemy. The hood appears due to 8 pairs of front ribs, which at this moment are parted to the sides. The hooded part of the body immediately noticeably expands and flattens, and the glasses clearly show through on the skin. As already mentioned, in the subspecies of the monocle cobra, the spectacle pattern consists of one ring, while in the Central Asian subspecies it is completely absent.
For all its seeming grace, the Indian cobra is quite clumsy and clumsy. However, it swims, dives and moves along tree branches very well. A pair of the famous poisonous fangs of the Indian cobra is located on the upper jaw, followed by an empty gap, and then a few (1-3) small teeth. However, this snake, unlike its other relatives, does not bite often. She prefers to scare off the enemy with a loud hiss and impressive appearance, without waiting for him to approach or touch her. But even with direct contact with the enemy, the Indian cobra is able to first inflict a fake bite by hitting the enemy with its head. The thing is that the teeth of this snake are shorter than, say, those of vipers, so for a full-fledged bite, it has to firmly cling to the victim with its teeth and squeeze them several times in order to accurately bite through and inject poison. And the teeth of the Indian cobra are easy enough to break, but new ones quickly grow in their place. In fact, it is quite difficult to turn under the bite of this snake in nature, only if you specifically run into it. In reality, Indian cobras rarely attack humans.
Of particular interest to scientists is such a subspecies of the Indian cobra as spitting. This snake really has an original way to attack. It is capable of spraying poison towards the enemy at a distance of up to 2 meters. This feature works due to the special structure of poisonous fangs, the poison channel in which is not directed downwards, like in other members of the aspid family, but forward - perpendicular to the front side of the fang. A sharp contraction of the muscles helps the spitting cobra shoot venom through these holes. The spitting Indian cobra is highly accurate. She directs a stream of poison into the eyes of the enemy, but more often uses this skill against large opponents. Such a "shot" can lead to complete blindness if the eyes are not rinsed in time.

Nutrition

Different subspecies of cobras hunt at different times of the day: some in the evening and late at night, others on spring days during the period of greatest activity. On especially hot summer days, the Indian cobra goes out for prey in the early morning, when the sun has not yet begun to burn. Its main food is amphibians (toads and frogs), small lizards and other reptiles, as well as rodents - mice and rats. If, in search of food, a snake finds a bird's nest, then it will certainly be ruined. And it is no coincidence that the Indian cobra settles next to people. So she provides herself with a plentiful diet, thanks to the rodents living next to a person, as well as the eggs of poultry. The Indian cobra is quite capable of plundering a chicken coop. In the water, she hunts for fish. But even without water she can do for a long time, for several weeks and even months, although if there is a reservoir nearby, she drinks a lot and willingly.

reproduction

The nominal subspecies of the Indian cobra is characterized by better fertility than the Central Asian one. There is affection between individuals of different sexes, the female and male stay together not only during the mating season, but also after fertilization, until the birth of the young. The mating season for Indian cobras begins in winter, and they make clutches in late spring and protect it with joint efforts. But more often, of course, the female guards her offspring. True, unlike royal cobras, Indian cobras do not incubate eggs, warming them with their warmth. However, the spectacled snake also carefully prepares for the birth of offspring, choosing a suitable warm place for the nest, and then protecting it with all the courage that it is capable of. It is better not to disturb the Indian cobra guarding eggs, during this period it is especially dangerous. In one clutch of the Indian cobra, there are about 10-20 eggs, but it happened to find larger clutches - up to 45 eggs in the nest. After 2, 5 - 3 months, small snakes appear from the eggs, which are already poisonous, ready for defense and able to inflate their hood. In captivity, it is quite difficult to achieve the reproduction of the Indian cobra, not all zoos can boast of this, not to mention the private owners of terrariums.

The Indian cobra is so dangerous that it is unlikely to be found in private collections of terrariumists. Scientists prefer to observe this snake in nature reserves and rarely in zoos. But if we talk about the arrangement of the terrarium, then for an Indian cobra one and a half meters in size, it should be at least 100x80x60 cm. Another important point is maintaining the right temperature. This can be ensured by underfloor heating. And of course, the Indian cobra, even in a limited space, needs shelter, for example, some plants, under the roots of which you can climb, or specially adapted boxes. Small rodents can be used as live food for the Indian cobra, as well as fish, pieces of meat and other sources of animal protein. And yet, once again, keeping poisonous snakes in captivity is very dangerous.

Additionally

In India, cobras are treated not only with fear, but with real reverence and reverence. Hindus bow before her as before a deity and, having found an Indian cobra in their house, in every possible way coax and even feed her. It is not surprising that with such an attitude, quackery is widespread in India associated with the performances of snake charmers. These people train the Indian cobra, accustoming it to certain movements and sounds, and over time the snake begins to demonstrate a semblance of dance to the music. It is said that unscrupulous charmers simply break out the poisonous teeth of the snake. However, researchers have determined that most of these trainers still know how to handle poisonous Indian cobras without resorting to any violence.

The spectacled snake is distributed throughout India, southern China, Burma, Siam, in the west across Afghanistan, the northeastern parts of Persia and the southern regions of Turkmenistan to the Caspian Sea. In the Himalayas, it is found up to a height of 2,500 m.

A spectacled snake chooses a place that she likes and, if nothing forces her to leave, lives there throughout her life. Her favorite dwellings are abandoned mounds of termites, ruins, heaps of stones and wood, holes in clay walls.

Indian cobra 1.4-1.81 m long, fiery yellow, in certain light with an ash-blue sheen. On the back of the head, a pattern resembling glasses is clearly distinguished - a clear light pattern on the back of the neck, which becomes clearly visible when the snake is defending itself. The value of the bright pattern on the dorsal side of the snake is very great - it keeps the predator from attacking, even if he managed to run to the snake from the rear.

The ventral side is gray and often has wide black stripes on the front of the body. The rounded and slightly blunt head smoothly merges into the body. The head is covered with large shields, the upper jaw is armed with paired poisonous fangs, followed by 1-3 more small teeth.

In India, the spectacle snake is an object of reverent reverence and even almost superstitious fear. She is worshiped and cajoled in every way. She even became one of the heroines in religious legends: “When the Buddha once wandered the earth and fell asleep under the rays of the midday sun, a cobra appeared, expanded its shield and blocked the face of God from the sun.

Satisfied with this, the god promised her extraordinary mercy, but forgot about his promise, and the snake was forced to remind him of this, since the vultures made terrible devastation among them at that time. In protection from these birds of prey, the Buddha gave goggles to the cobra, which kites are still afraid of.

If a resident of Malabar finds a poisonous snake in his house, he asks it to leave in the most friendly way. If this does not help at all, then he holds food in front of her to lure her out. And if she doesn’t leave even then, then he calls on the servants of the deity, who, of course, for an appropriate reward, make touching exhortations to the snake, speak to the snake.

Such reverence is not accidental. Not even because the Hindus consider the snake to be a deity. The Indian cobra is very dangerous, and in no case should it be angered, then the snake becomes very aggressive and uncontrollable. Only brought to the extreme, she rushes at the attacker.

The snake hunts only in the late afternoon hours and often continues to crawl late at night. Therefore, it can rightfully be called a nocturnal reptile. Cobra food consists exclusively of small animals, mainly reptiles and amphibians: lizards, frogs and toads. She hunts mice, rats, insects. Often robs bird nests.

The most durable and high-quality countertop made of stone made of plastic, this allows it to not be afraid of moisture and be resistant to scratches and chips. Selling the highest quality countertops on our website.

The spectacled snake has quite a few enemies, among which the first place belongs to the mongoose. This small predator fearlessly attacks snakes of any size.

But for a person, an Indian snake is extremely dangerous. Even with a broken tooth, a snake can inflict injury, moreover, in place of broken teeth, no less poisonous substitute teeth soon grow.

Cobra venom of neurotoxic action. A minute later, complete paralysis sets in. The venom of the spectacled cobra is so toxic that a chicken dies from its bite after 4 minutes, and a laboratory mouse after 2 minutes.

But a cobra never bites a person without special need, and even if it makes a throw towards the enemy, it often does not open its mouth (fake throw). Never anger a cobra. Even if she is nearby, you should not beat the snake with a stick or throw any objects at it. This will only anger the reptile, and it will attack in self-defense.

Cobra is the common name for various types of poisonous snakes from the Aspid 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("snake in a hat"). Following their example, British travelers and merchants began to call all "hooded" snakes 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 become.

From the recorded records, it is known that the smallest cobra is the Mozambican (lat. Najamosambica), 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 a maximum size of 5.85 meters and a mass of more than 12 kg.

On the left is the Mozambique cobra, on the right is the king cobra. Credits (left to right): Bernard DUPONT, CC BY-SA 2.0; Michael Allen Smith, CC BY-SA 2.0

In a calm state, cobras are difficult to distinguish from other snakes. Being irritated, they take a characteristic pose: they raise their upper body high above the ground, expand the cervical and partially torso sections, 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 away the enemy.

The coloration of cobras is adaptive. Desert species are sandy-yellow in color, wood species have a greenish color, inhabitants of places overgrown with plants are motley. In the tropics, where plants of various colors are found, bright species live: coral cobra (lat. Aspidelaps lubricus) and the red spitting cobra (lat. Naja pallida). Spectacled snake (lat. Naja naja) is decorated with light circles on the dorsal side of the upper body. A characteristic feature of cobras is the presence of more or less pronounced transverse dark stripes, more noticeable on the neck.

From left to right: coral cobra (lat. Aspidelaps lubricus), red spitting cobra (lat. Naja pallida), spectacled snake (lat. Naja naja). Photo credits (left to right): Ryanvanhuyssteen, CC BY-SA 3.0; Pogrebnoj-Alexandroff, CC BY 2.5; Jayendra Chiplunkar, CC BY-SA 3.0

The cobra's head is rounded in front, flat on top, covered with shields, which are absent on the cheekbones. Without a 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 shields.

The eyes of a cobra are dark, small and unblinking, covered with a thin transparent film formed during the fusion of the eyelids. 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 with the skin during molting.

In diurnal snakes, which are cobras, the pupil of the eyes has a round shape.

The upper jaw of the snake is armed with rather large (6 mm in the Central Asian species), sharp, poisonous tubular teeth. The teeth of the cobra are not long enough, and therefore the reptiles are forced to hold the prey tightly with them in order to inflict several bites at once. According to the structure of the poisonous apparatus, representatives of the aspid family belong to the anterior furrowed (proteroglyphic) snakes. Their poisonous teeth are located in front of the narrow upper jaw, a "seam" is visible on their outer surface, and the poison flows not along the groove outside, but inside the tooth along the poisonous channel. The teeth sit motionless in the jawbone. Due to their convenient location and perfect poison-producing apparatus, a cobra bite is deadly.

Behind these teeth, poisonous snakes have others that replace the main ones when they are damaged. On the upper jaw of cobras, there are a total of 3-5 pairs of teeth. They are sharp, thin, curved back and are not intended for tearing and chewing prey. Cobras swallow their prey whole.

The sense organ that is of paramount importance 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 tongue of the cobra, forked at the end, protrudes, flutters in the air or feels nearby objects, and again hides in the semicircular notch of the upper jaw leading to Jacobson's organ. So the animal analyzes the chemical composition of everything nearby or at a distance, identifies prey, even if there is a small proportion 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 sense that we are used to, cobras are deaf, as they do not perceive air vibrations. But due to the development of the inner ear, they pick up even the slightest vibrations in the ground. 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. The molt lasts about 10 days. At this time, the snakes hide in shelters, as their body becomes vulnerable.

Where do cobras live?

Hooded snakes are inhabitants of the Old World (Asia, Africa). They are extremely thermophilic and cannot exist where a snow cover forms. The exception is the Central Asian cobra: in the north, its habitat includes part of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. In Africa, cobras are found all over 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. Rarely found in tropical forests, in mountains up to a height of 2400 m, in river valleys. Cobras do not live in Russia.

Cobras are very agile 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 person can catch up with a snake quite easily.

What does a cobra eat?

Most cobras are predators, they eat amphibians (,), birds (ground-nesting small passerines, nightjars), reptiles (more often than others, less often), mammals (rodents), fish. They can eat bird eggs. Some species do not refuse carrion.

cobra breeding

Cobras breed once a year. Depending on the climatic zone in which they live, their breeding season can begin both in the spring and in the winter months. For example, in the king cobra, the mating period takes place in January-February. Males fight for a female, but do not bite each other. A male cobra can even eat a female if she was impregnated 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 lasts for an hour. After 1-3 months, most of the cobras (oviparous) lay eggs, the number of which varies depending on the species and can be either 8 or 80 pieces. Only one species, the collared cobra, is viviparous. She brings up to 60 live cubs at a time.

Ovoviviparous cobras lay their eggs in a nest built by them from 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 necessary for the development of juveniles is maintained by the optimal volume of rotting leaves.

In almost all species of cobras, it is usually the female, and sometimes the male, who guards the future offspring until they hatch. Immediately before the appearance of the babies, the parents crawl away from them, so that after a long hunger strike they themselves will 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 posture in cobras is an innate phenomenon, and snakes that have just emerged from their eggs freeze at the sight of danger in the same way as adults. On the first day, the babies feed on the remains of egg yolks that have been preserved after hatching. Due to their size, at first, small cobras hunt only small prey, and are often content with insects.

How long do cobras live?

The life expectancy of cobras in nature has not been established, but there are cases of some species inhabiting 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 can extend their necks in the form of a hood. All of them belong to the Aspid family, but to its different genera. Below is the classification of cobras according to reptile-database.org (dated 03/21/2018):

Aspid family (lat. Elapidae)

• Genus Collared cobras (lat. Hemachatus)
  • Collared cobra species (lat. Hemachatus haemachatus)
• Genus Shield cobras (lat. Aspidelaps)
  • Species South African shield cobra (lat. Aspidelaps lubricus)
  • View Common shield cobra (lat. Aspidelaps scutatus)
• Genus King cobras (lat. Ophiophagus)
  • View King cobra (hamadryad) (lat. Ophiophagus hannah)
• Genus Forest cobras, or tree cobras (lat. Pseudohaje)
  • View Eastern tree cobra (lat. Pseudohaje goldii)
  • Type Western tree cobra, or black tree cobra (lat. PseudohajeNigra)
• Genus Desert cobras (lat. Walterinnesia)
  • Type Egyptian desert cobra (lat. Walterinnesia aegyptia)
  • View Walterinnesia morgani
• Genus Cobras (or Real cobras) (lat. Naja)
  • View Angolan cobra (lat. Naja anchietae)
  • Type Ringed water cobra (lat. Naja annulata)
  • Species Striped Egyptian cobra (lat. Naja annulifera)
  • View Arabian cobra (lat. Naja arabica)
  • View Large brown spitting cobra (lat. Naja Ashei)
  • Type Chinese cobra (lat. Naja atra)
  • View Water cobra Christie (lat. Naja christy)
  • Type Egyptian cobra (lat. Naja haje)
  • View Monocle cobra (lat. Naja Kaouthia)
  • Mali cobra, West African spitting cobra (lat. Naja Katiensis)
  • Species Mandalay spitting cobra (lat. Naja mandalayensis)
  • View Black and white cobra (lat. Naja melanoleuca)
  • View Mozambique cobra (lat. Naja mosambica)
  • View Naja multifasciata
  • View Indian cobra, spectacled snake (lat. Naja naja)
  • View Western spitting cobra (lat. Naja nigricincta)
  • Type Cape cobra (lat. Naja nivea)
  • View Black-necked cobra (lat. Naja nigricollis)
  • Nubian spitting cobra (lat. Naja nubiae)
  • View Central Asian cobra (lat. Naja oxiana)
  • Type Red cobra, or red spitting cobra (lat. Naja pallida)
  • View Naja peroescobari
  • Type Philippine cobra (lat. Naja philippinensis)
  • View Andaman cobra (lat. Naja sagittifera)
  • View South Philippine cobra, Samara cobra, or Peters cobra (lat. Naja samarensis)
  • View Senegalese cobra (lat. Naja senegalensis)
  • Type Siamese cobra, Indochinese spitting cobra (lat. Naja siamensis)
  • Species Spitting Indian cobra (lat. Naja sputatrix)
  • View Sumatran cobra (lat. Naja sumatrana)

Types of cobras, names and photos

• King cobra (hamadryad) (lat. Ophiophagus hannah ) It 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. Inhabits India south of the Himalayas, southern China to Hainan Island, Bhutan, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Pakistan, Singapore, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines. It is found in forests with dense undergrowth and grass cover, rarely creeps near human habitation. The size of an adult king cobra averages 3-4 meters, some individuals grow up to 5.85 meters in length. The average weight of a king cobra is 6 kilograms, but large individuals can weigh more than 12 kg. An adult snake has a dark olive or brown body with or without light oblique transverse rings, a dark olive to black tail. Juveniles are usually dark brown or black with white or yellowish transverse stripes. The belly of the snake is light cream or yellowish in color. A distinctive feature of the king cobra is an additional 6 shields on the back of the head, which differ in color.

Most of the time the king cobra spends on the ground, although it successfully climbs trees and swims dexterously. She is active during the day, usually preying on her own kind, eating both poisonous and non-poisonous snakes (cobras, boygs, kraits, kuffi, snakes), sometimes a cobra eats its cubs. Only occasionally, for a change, can bite a lizard.

This species is oviparous. Initially, the female builds a "nest" by raking leaves and branches into a heap with the front part of her body. There she lays her eggs and covers them with rotting foliage from above. She herself is placed nearby, jealously guarding future offspring from anyone who, through indiscretion, dares to approach him. Sometimes the father also participates in the protection. Cubs are born with a size of 50 cm, 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 bitten by a king cobra can die within 30 minutes. The reptile actively warns approaching enemies by emitting a piercing whistling hiss, adopting a “cobra pose”, but at the same time rising above other cobras by 1 meter and not swinging from side to side (royally). If a person who notices the snake's threatening posture freezes in place, the cobra will calm down and crawl away. The snake is impatient and not helpful, 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, weight reaches 5-6 kg. She has a head rounded in front, without a noticeable neck interception, passing into a body covered with smooth scales. The Indian cobra is colored quite brightly, although the color and pattern of populations living in different places can vary greatly. There are yellow-gray, black and brown individuals. The ventral part may be yellowish-brown or light gray. Young individuals are decorated with dark transverse stripes, first turning pale with age, then disappearing completely.

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 resembling eyes or glasses. This adaptation helps the cobra avoid being attacked by predators from behind.

• Central Asian cobra (lat. Naja oxiana) found in Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Iran, Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan. It hides among stones, in rodent burrows, in gorges, among sparse vegetation, near rivers, in the ruins of man-made buildings. Lives in the depths of dry deserts.

This poisonous reptile reaches 1.8 meters in size and is distinguished by the absence of a pattern in the form of points on the dorsal side of the neck. young individuals. As the reptile grows older, the stripes on the ventral part are replaced by spots or specks. The species does not form large groups, and even in spring it is not possible to find more than 2-3 individuals in one area. In spring, under favorable conditions, Central Asian cobras hunt during the day. In hot areas, they are noticeable only 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, boas, 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, juveniles 30 cm in size appear from them.

The venom of the Central Asian cobra has a pronounced neurotoxic effect. The animal bitten by her becomes lethargic, then he has convulsions, breathing quickens. Death occurs as a result of paralysis of the lungs. But the cobra rarely bites, only being in a hopeless situation. At first, she always takes a warning demonstrative pose, hisses and gives the attacker the opportunity to leave. Even if the attacker does not retreat, she first makes a false bite - she quickly rushes and hits the enemy with her muzzle with her mouth tightly closed. So she protects her valuable teeth from possible breakage and saves poison for real prey.

• Spitting Indian cobra (lat. Naja sputatrix) lives in Indonesia (on the Lesser Sunda Islands: Java, Bali, Sulawesi, Lombok, Sumbawa, Flores, Komodo, Alor, Lomblen).

She has a broad head with a neck interception, a short muzzle with large nostrils and rather large eyes. The body color is uniform - 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 poisonous channel is directed forward, not down. The reptile squirts out venom with a strong contraction of specialized muscles. The jet hits the target very precisely. The reptile uses this method of defense only for defense against large enemies. The poison of a cobra that gets into the eyes provokes clouding of the outer shell of the eye and in this way stops the attacker. If the eyes are not rinsed with water immediately, then complete loss of vision may occur.

• Egyptian cobra, gaya, or real asp (lat. Naja haje) lives in northern Africa and on the Arabian Peninsula (in Yemen). Lives in mountains, deserts, steppes and near human settlements.

A real asp grows up to 2.5 meters and weighs 3 kg, its “hood” in expanded form is much narrower than that of the Indian cobra. The color of the dorsal side of the cobra is solid - dark brown, red-brown, gray-brown or light yellow, with a light, creamy ventral side. Several broad dark stripes on the neck become visible when the snake assumes a warning posture. Young reptiles are brighter and ornamented 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 into the eyes of an 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 fuzzy transverse stripes. The neck and throat are black, often with a transverse white stripe.

In an irritated state, a cobra can shoot poison up to 28 times in a row, throwing out a portion of 3.7 mg. It accurately hits the target, but sometimes confuses shiny objects with the eyes - buckles of trousers, watch dials, etc. The poison of the black-necked cobra 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 type of cobra, scientists found that during the contraction of special muscles, the entrance to the trachea of ​​the reptile is also closed. This provides 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, and animal burrows. This is an oviparous animal, in 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 a cobra of this species is yellow with black stripes scattered over it and irregularly shaped spots. Adults are dark brown or brown with a gray metallic sheen and a black tail. Young reptiles are dark-colored with light transverse thin stripes. The length of the cobra often reaches 2 meters, individuals of 2.7 m are less common.

The reptile does not spit venom. In nature, the snake lives for about 12 years, and a record cobra life span of 29 years has also been recorded. The reptile is active during the day, feeds on fish, rodents, amphibians, birds, monitor lizards and other lizards. Its venom is second only to the venom of the Cape Cobra among snakes in Africa. 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.

This is a venomous snake, the underside of the neck of which is often adorned with a transverse brown stripe. The color of the cobra can be amber yellow, light yellow, bronze, brown, copper, plain or spotted. The length of its body varies from 1.2 to 1.5 m, although there are individuals up to 1.8 m or 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) - This is a poisonous animal with a small head and a 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 up to 25 meters, she catches fish and eats, basically, only them. It rarely feeds on frogs, toads and other amphibians. Under water can be up to 10 minutes.

The ringed water cobra lives in Cameroon, Gabon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, Tanzania, Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda, Burundi, Zambia, Angola. The snake's habitats include rivers and lakes, where it spends most of its time, as well as nearby areas: banks and savannas overgrown with bushes and trees.

• Collared cobra (lat. Hemachatus haemachatus) separated into a separate genus due to some important distinguishing features. Unlike other cobras, it does not have any other teeth behind its venomous teeth. This 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. Darker varieties of the reptile are often found, but the head and lower neck of this reptile are always completely black, and transverse black and yellowish-cream stripes are located on the belly. Almost completely black species always have a light stripe on the neck. The hood of this venomous snake is quite narrow.

The collared cobra lives in South Africa (Zimbabwe, Lesotho, South Africa, Swaziland). Here, for the ability to spit poison, she was nicknamed "spui-slang" - a spitting snake.

• Monocle cobra (lat. Naja Kaouthia) - an egg-laying snake that is found in China, Cambodia, Myanmar, India, Thailand, Laos, Malaysia, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Vietnam, and is also supposedly found in Nepal. The reptile swims well, settles both on the plains, in forests and fields, and in mountainous areas, creeps into pastures and rice plantations, and can live near cities and villages. The animal is active both during the day and at night, but at the same time it prefers to hunt at night.

On the hood of a poisonous snake there is only one light circle, and not two, like in 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 color. Monocle cobra has a rather nervous and aggressive character.

• Siamese cobra (lat. Naja siamensis) lives in Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos. According to some sources, it is also found in Myanmar. The reptile settles in lowlands, hills, plains and forests, sometimes approaches 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 lives a population with a contrasting longitudinal or transverse black and white coloration in the form of alternating stripes. In the west of Thailand, this type of cobra is black in color. They also have a slightly different pattern on the hood. 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.

This is a poisonous egg-laying snake 0.45 to 0.7 m long, with a rounded head, covered in front with large triangular shields. The cobra's head is red with two black stripes, one of which runs from the nostrils to the crown, branching off into the eyes, the other, transverse, crosses the first at the level of the neck. The body of a cobra is pink, yellowish or orange, crossed by transverse black rings.

The South African shield cobra is a nocturnal animal that lives in burrows or under rocks, preferring semi-deserts and sandy areas. Cobra food is small vertebrates, mainly reptiles.

The Latin name of the king cobra - Ophiophagus hannah - is translated as "eating snakes", but it does not apply to true cobras - representatives of the Naja genus, therefore this snake was isolated as an independent species.

The size and appearance of the king cobra really inspire respect and fear. Still, because the average length of her body is 3-4 meters, but there are individuals with a length of 5-5.5 meters!

It is not difficult to recognize this snake. A distinctive feature of the king cobra is a narrow hood at the back of the head and neck, 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 an extensive range that stretches from India to the Philippines (South India, Pakistan, South China, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Greater Sunda Islands and the Philippines).

For no particular reason, the "queen" does not like to be seen. She prefers to stick to dark caves or holes, of which there are a great many in the jungle.

They are also excellent tree climbers and good swimmers, but still prefer to spend most of their time on the ground. During the capture of prey or the pursuit of the enemy, the snake can move quickly. Therefore, the chances of escaping from the snake by flight are not so great. You will learn about the reasons for such aggressiveness a little below. Recently, there has been a trend of relocation of 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 deforestation, which is the natural habitat of these snakes. In addition to this, cobras are often seen in crop areas where there are many rodents, and where there are rodents, there are also small snakes - the main food of the king cobra.

Her favorite dish 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 powerful venom that has a neurotoxic effect helps the snake to quickly cope with its prey. It causes paralysis of the respiratory muscles, which leads to respiratory arrest and, as a result, to death. The amount of poison injected into the victim when bitten 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 venom and aggressiveness, human 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 scare a person, K. cobra often inflicts “blank bites”. They occur without injection of venom or very little of it to be fatal. If a person received a full bite, then he has no more than half an hour to live. Only the timely administration of an antidote, antivenin, can save him.

Interestingly, the king cobras themselves have developed immunity to their poison, therefore, during the “fights” for the female during the mating season, not one of the gentlemen dies from the bites of an opponent.

January is the beginning of the mating season, when the male goes in search of a female. If there are several applicants, then ritual battles take place. The winner gets the main prize - a female. Then a short acquaintance takes place, during which the male is convinced that the female is not dangerous for him, and the final stage of mating games begins - mating.

The king cobra is one of the few snakes that builds a nest for their eggs. It is a large pile of rotting foliage, located on a small hill (so that it does not flood heavily during tropical downpours). There, the female lays from 20 to 40 eggs, and then constantly maintains a certain temperature in it (from 25 to 29 ° C).

King cobra or hamadryad (lat. Ophiophagus hannah) (English King Cobra)

After laying eggs, the female becomes very aggressive. She guards them around the clock and is ready to throw herself at anyone who passes by her "treasury". Whether it's a small harmless animal or an elephant. As a result, aggressive behavior and attacks for no apparent reason are often attributed to her, although all her 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 deaths 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 babies from hunger. As a result, only 2-4 out of 20-40 kites reach adulthood.

In India, K. cobra is considered a sacred animal, and its killing is punishable not only by religion, but also by laws. Since 1972, a law has been in force prohibiting the killing of cobras unless absolutely necessary. Punishment - 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 belief, this snake has purity and holiness and brings wealth to the house.

Once a year, a holiday dedicated to the king 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, neck, wrap 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 holiday is over, all the cobras are taken back to the forest.

King cobras live for about 30 years and are constantly growing throughout this period.