Indian cobra or spectacled snake
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The Indian cobra, or spectacled snake, got its name for a reason. She is bright and extravagant. The main color of her jumpsuit is yellow with blue sparkles and a brown scarf (stripes) at the throat. The back of the overalls is darker - brown, and in the area of \u200b\u200bthe ribs there is a wonderful identification mark - a white application in the form of pince-nez.
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Among these snakes there are also those that have one eyepiece in the application, these are called monocles.
The Indian cobra grows up to 1.5 - 2 m.
You can meet this beauty in India (hence the name), Central Asia, South China, the islands of the Malay Archipelago and the Philippines. The snake does not have certain requirements for the place of residence, it feels great both in the dense jungle, and in rice fields, and in the neighborhood with a person: in parks and personal plots.
In July, the female lays from 9 to 19 eggs, from which babies hatch in late August and early September. The Indian cobra does not incubate eggs, as it does, but after laying it is always nearby, protecting future offspring from offenders.
Spectacled snake is a predator and meat eater. She prefers to feast on rodents, amphibians and birds. But its main food is small rodents, so the Indian cobra is respected by farmers, because thanks to its efforts, there are fewer crop pests.
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The poison of the Indian cobra is very toxic, one dried gram is enough to kill 140 medium-sized dogs. On humans, the effects of a bite appear after 10 minutes.
Although Indian cobras love solitude, they have extraordinary artistic abilities, for which they are attracted to participate in the performances of Indian snake charmers. Interestingly, only Indian and Egyptian cobras have learned to tame. The caster plays the pipe, luring the snake out of the basket, and makes it sway to the beat of the music.
Source: http://www.animalsglobe.ru
In fact, the snake follows the movements of the musician, preparing for an attack, but it seems that she is dancing. And the caster risks his life every second of his performance. In order to stay alive, he studies the character, habits of his pet in the smallest details and details, and as soon as he sees that she is ready for an attack, he immediately puts it back into the basket. Skilled spellcasters can divert the attention of the snake so much that they succeed in an incredible trick - a kiss with a snake, less skillful - remove the cobra's teeth. But the latter is rarely practiced: firstly, the audience can ask the caster to show the cobra's teeth, and if they are not found, he is cast out in disgrace. Secondly, losing teeth, the cobra loses its poison and cannot digest its prey, therefore it is doomed to a slow and starvation death. Thirdly, changing a pet every 2-3 months is troublesome and costly for a caster.
Fearless cobra tamer
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King cobra or Hamadryad
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The king cobra is the largest venomous snake on the planet. It grows all its life and grows up to 4-5 meters.
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The largest king cobra was caught in Malaysia in 1937, from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail, its length was 5.5 m. While it was transported to the London Zoo, it grew a little, and its length was already 5.7 m. During World War II During the war, zoo workers were forced to kill the giant so that in the event of a bombing of the zoo, the cobra could not escape and cause trouble. The average weight of an adult with an impressive size is only 5-6 kg, so the cobra does not look massive, like a python or anaconda.
When meeting, the king cobras measure their height, each tries to touch the top of the opponent's head, and the one that manages to do this first is the main one. The second one yields and tries to get out of the way as soon as possible.
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The color of the cobra's jumpsuit, depending on the place of residence, varies from olive to dark brown, with white, beige or yellow rings and a yellow belly. The king cobra is called not only because of its size, but also because of the six shields on the back of the head, similar to a crown.
You can meet the King Cobra in South and Southeast Asia. The queen of snakes chooses tropical forests and dense thickets of bushes as her habitat. In densely populated India, forests are being actively cut down. Therefore, the snake had to adapt to new conditions and learn to live next door to humans, although people are not very happy with such a dangerous neighbor.
Source: http://www.zoopicture.ru
During the mating period, males, having collided in the same territory, arrange ritual battle-dances, while they do not bite each other (even if they did bite, nothing bad would happen, because king cobras are immune to their own poison). Naturally, the winner remains near the female. At the same time, the winner is very jealous, and if the loser managed to fertilize the female, he can kill and eat her.
The male takes care of the female for a long time, but not because he is a gallant gentleman, but in order to make sure that she accepts him and will not send him to the forefathers, if something goes wrong.
The female lays 20-40 eggs in the nest. In order not to inadvertently eat the serpents, shortly before their appearance, he crawls away to hunt in order to eat enough.
Despite its name, the king cobra (lat. Ophiophagus hannah) does not belong to the genus of true cobras (lat. Naja). To her, as befits a royal person, scientists identified a separate genus - Ophiophagus. The king cobra is the longest venomous snake in the world - the length of individual individuals can reach five and a half meters.
But even its average size, about four meters, is impressive. For comparison, king cobras are longer than a crocodile, and standing upright, one third of its length, the snake is taller than an adult, 1.80 cm tall, human.
However, this cobra deserved the title of queen not only because of its impressive size, but to a greater extent, its gastronomic preferences became the reason for this: the main dish in the daily menu of the royal cobra is snakes, including poisonous ones.
This thunderstorm of cobras, pythons, kraits, as well as lizards, birds and rodents lives in the forests of Southeast Asia, from India to the Philippines and Indonesia, along the banks of streams, mangrove swamps, in bamboo thickets or near tea plantations.
flickr/Vipul Ramanuj
Depending on the area where the king cobra lives, its color can vary - from light olive to dark brown, with white, yellow or beige rings. The denser the undergrowth and the darker the terrain, the darker her skin.
The calling card of the king cobra is its hood. When a cobra is angry or frightened, the ribs on its neck straighten, pulling on the skin that hangs freely on the sides. The appearance of the hood is accompanied by a loud hiss, as if to say: “I am big and strong, and I can bite you. Stay away from me."
This is exactly what most predators do, without the risk of attacking the king cobra. Her biggest enemy is the , a small animal fast enough to attack a cobra and bite through its neck before it can release its deadly venom. There are no patterns on the hood of the king cobra, which also distinguishes it from real cobras.
Adult cobras change their skin four to six times a year, while young snakes change their skin every month. To speed up the process of molting, the king cobra rubs against sharp stones, tree branches. When the molt is fully completed, the cobra will have not only new skin, but also new teeth, eyes, and the tip of the tongue.
For about ten days after such a global update, the king cobra will have very poor eyesight, but when it is restored, the cobra will be able to see objects at a distance of more than a hundred meters.
The poison of the king cobra is not the most potent, here the palm belongs to the Australian taipan. However, where the cobra is inferior in strength, it takes in quantity - its short, less than one and a half centimeters fangs emit a huge (up to seven milliliters) dose of poison. The bite of a king cobra can kill a person in fifteen minutes, and an adult elephant in a few hours.
Luckily, she doesn't like to waste her venom and tries to avoid conflicts with people. King cobras are the only snakes in the world that build nests for laying eggs. After laying several dozen eggs, the cobra covers them with leaves and lays down on top in anticipation of offspring. At this time, she is very aggressive and dangerous.
Another photo to show the size...
Cobra is one of the most on the planet. If she bites a person, then the only way to escape is to immediately inject the snakebite serum.
The king cobra reaches 5 - 7 meters in length and can weigh up to 9 kg. Interestingly, some species do not even bite with their teeth during an attack, as they spit poison quite accurately.
Where do cobras live
Cobras are distributed almost all over the world, where they have enough heat and food. They usually choose sites near bodies of water, in abandoned gardens and plantations, and sometimes in close proximity to human habitation. They also like to settle in large old buildings, as well as where there is a lot of garbage.
The king cobra is the largest venomous snake on the planet. But besides it, there are several no less dangerous, and often deadly species of cobras.
The most famous of them:
- Indian cobra
- Egyptian cobra
Most species of cobras have a characteristic hood around the neck, which they open when they see danger or when they are about to attack themselves. Sometimes there are marks in the form of glasses or a ring on the hood.
attacks on people
Cobras do not attack humans because humans are too big for them to serve as a source of food. An attack often occurs in case of immediate danger to the cobra itself, for example, when someone steps on it.
Food
They usually feed on other types of snakes, small animals such as rats, frogs, and sometimes birds.
During the attack, the cobra pierces the skin of the victim with its fangs to inject poison. Cobra venom acts on the nervous system, blocking the victim's breathing. A few minutes after the bite, the animal dies due to cardiac arrest.
Even a small amount of king cobra venom is enough to kill 30 people.
snake charmer
In India, it is not uncommon to see a snake charmer show on the street. The performance usually uses Indian cobras. First, the cobras are provoked to attack, and then the snake charmer calms them down with a rhythmic melody. At the same time, the snake sways from side to side, following the pipe of the caster.
At the mention of a cobra, most people involuntarily startle: an angry snake in a “hood” rises before their eyes, which is about to pounce. However, cobras never attack just like that, they also hiss warningly, giving them a chance to retreat. But few people know that "cobra" is not the name of a species, but something like a nickname, which in Portuguese means "snake". Cobras are rather phlegmatic creatures, they do not like haste and fuss, but if they encroach on their territory, they will zealously defend it. Therefore, we must not forget that these snakes are the most dangerous in the world, and their poison is deadly to humans.
Unlike their "brothers", these varieties do not rush at the enemy, but allow themselves to be detected. They stand up, open their hood and sway, as if warning that they are not to be trifled with. because the structure of their teeth is different. They do not make lightning-fast bites: if they bite, they first dig into the skin and “chew” it to bite well, and only then inject poison. Only the antidote, which is produced in serpentaria, can save the victim.
What does a cobra eat? These are small rodents (rats, mice, etc.), birds, frogs, lizards and even other types of snakes. During the hunt, cobras do not swallow the victim alive, as many people think, but first paralyze them with their poison, wait for some time until the prey dies, and only after that they start eating. One meal is enough for them for several days. For some period, cobras may not eat anything at all, but this applies exclusively to females, and only during that period of time when they are forced to guard their masonry.
King cobra: interesting facts
The largest of all venomous snakes is the king cobra. On average, its length is about three to four meters, but there are also such specimens, the length of which is more than five and a half meters. What are some interesting facts about king cobras?
- Because of its aggressiveness, this species is rarely kept in zoos and terrariums;
- King cobras grow all their lives, the average duration is 30 years;
- This is the only representative of snakes that feeds on their own kind;
- When two cobras meet, they begin to measure their height, who is longer;
- The king cobra's venom is so venomous that it can kill an adult elephant;
- A person is often bitten without poison - in order to save money, so that he is not food;
- Despite their danger, king cobras are caring parents;
- Studies have shown that this snake species has a good visual memory;
- And quite an amazing fact: the king cobras have two genitals;
- An even more amazing fact: their sexual intercourse can last up to three days.
The venom of the king cobra is the most dangerous of all snake venoms, but at the same time, it is a very valuable product for medical preparations. It is not easy to catch them: cobras are unusually nimble creatures, they swiftly glide along the ground and trees, and they are also excellent swimmers. Therefore, king cobras are usually caught by specially trained people. If we talk about the enemies of this type of snake, then we can distinguish four main ones. These are mongooses, wild boars, meerkats and eagles. Especially the mongooses, they don't give the cobras a chance.
Where do cobras live
Cobras live wherever it is warm - this is the most optimal climate for them, they do not tolerate cold. They settle mainly in vegetable gardens, fields, near water bodies, in gardens - especially where there is a lot of garbage and abandoned. Most of these snakes live in the tropical regions of Southeast Asia: in Indonesia, the Philippines, the Himalayas, Cambodia, Vietnam, etc. Most cobras, having settled in one place and even having a “family”, no longer leave their homes. But if there is a real danger (for example, construction), then they can move very far, hundreds of kilometers, where they can settle for many years.
The Asian cobra is no less dangerous for humans, it takes the “honorable” second place in terms of poison toxicity. This is a rather aggressive snake, but not as irritable as the king cobra. As the name already implies, it also lives in Asia and differs in that when attacked (if provoked), it first makes a “false” bite, and only after that it bites for real. But it does not immediately crawl away, like most snakes, but bites into its prey so tightly that it is quite difficult to unhook it from the skin. And then it is already difficult to save a person - the Asian cobra injects a lethal amount of poison.
10 Deadly Snake Species
If we talk about snakes in general, there are enough poisonous ones, but, fortunately, not all of them are so dangerous that a meeting with them ends in death. If you introduce an antidote in time and provide first aid, then there are chances to survive. We present you the TOP-10.
Tiger snake. Another native of Australia, also lives in New Guinea and Tasmania. It got its name from the characteristic marks on the skin. It belongs to the species of dangerous snakes, its venom causes muscle paralysis. But she attacks very rarely, only if she feels a real threat or if she is accidentally stepped on.
Black Mamba. African aggressive snake, the fastest on the planet. Its bite is fatal to humans, the poison instantly affects the entire body. And if you do not enter the antidote - a person dies in most cases. It is necessary to provide assistance at lightning speed, within an hour, since the poison of the black mamba is quickly absorbed into the blood.
Blue bungarus. This is the largest poisonous snake, despite its bright appearance, one of the most dangerous on earth. Death after being bitten by this blue creature can lead to death even with an antidote. This is an aggressive individual that eats its "brothers", its poison is very toxic and several times stronger than the poison of a cobra.
Reticulated snake. Another representative of Australia, which moves at lightning speed. Deadly poison is produced already in young individuals, but, fortunately, reticulated snakes never attack people just like that, only for the purpose of self-defense. Therefore, when meeting with them, you just need to stand still.
Taipan. One of the most poisonous snakes on the planet, one bite of which can kill dozens of people (according to the amount of toxic substances in the poison). But the taipan is a very shy creature that hides from every rustle, and in order to make it attack, you need to make an effort. This type of snake attacks only in cases of a clear threat.
Rattlesnake. "Inhabitant" of America, which got its name due to the "rattle" at the tip of the tail. Young individuals are the most dangerous, they are more aggressive than adults. The poison causes the strongest symptoms of poisoning, which are deadly only in cases where a special serum was not introduced on time.
Philippine cobra. This type of snake is no less dangerous, but it has the "talent" to attack with lightning speed from a distance of three meters. The poison immediately affects the respiratory system, it becomes difficult for the victim to breathe, paralysis soon sets in. If an antidote is not administered within half an hour, then death is inevitable.
Sand efa. The main habitats of this snake are India, Africa and Sri Lanka, they love arid savannahs and deserts. They have a rather rare poison that acts slowly, death from it can occur in a week or a month. But with the timely introduction of serum, this can be avoided.
Sea snake. This snake, which lives in the Indian Ocean, is the most venomous in the world, its venom kills in seconds. But, fortunately, she uses it very sparingly and is generally a non-aggressive creature. And even if it bites, in most cases it does without consequences. And you need to try very hard to bring the sea snake out of yourself.
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 festival 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.
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