- How heavy are Cobras? They vary in weight, depending on species, from only a few ounces for a typical African Ringhals, to 35 lbs. for a large King.
How old do they get? Cobras typically live up to 20 years or more, when they’re in the wild.
- Did you know that a group of cobras is called a quiver? Well now you do…
COBRA
- Are Cobras aggressive? Most cobras are shy, and will usually run and hide when people are around. The exception is King Cobra, who is aggressive and will rear up and stand his ground when confronted.
- What unique power do they have? This is one of those supernatural cobra facts that always amazes me: Cobras are the only snake in the world that can spit their venom, and they are accurate up to about half their own length!
- Can they see? Cobras are not blind, in fact they see very well even at night. However, eyesight is not their only great sense…Jacobsen’s Organ: Gives the Cobra super smelling ability.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A Cobra is a venomous snake, most of which belong to the Elapidae family of snakes, which is capable of spreading its neck ribs to form a flattened hood when startled. They are indigenous to southern Africa, southern Asia, and some islands of Southeast Asia, as well as some parts of the United States and Cuba.
Cobra derives from a Portuguese word for snake (the other is serpente) without distinction as to type. In English and in some other languages, it has been adopted as a more specific name for poisonous snakes that can produce a hood (though one of these, the "American cobra", produces no such hood).
Not all snakes commonly referred to as cobras are of the same genus, or even in the family Elapidae. The name "cobra" is short for cobra de capelo which is Portuguese for "snake with hood".[1] In some modern languages, such as Afrikaans, the other part of the Portuguese name was adopted, and the predominant name for a cobra in Afrikaans is kapel.[2][3]
The Indian cobra, Naja naja, shown here with its hood expanded, is often regarded as the archetypal cobra.
The Indian cobra, Naja naja.
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Any member of the genus Naja, also known as typical or "true" cobras, a group of elapids found in Africa and Asia. They include over 20 species, among them Naja nivea, the Cape cobra, a moderately sized, highly venomous cobra from southern Africa; Cleopatra's "asp" (the Egyptian cobra, Naja haje); the Asiatic spectacled cobra Naja naja and monocled cobra, Naja kaouthia, the spitting cobraswhich are able to squirt venom in self-defense, and the burrowing cobra, Naja multifasciata, considered a separate genus (Paranaja) until recent molecular studies classified it as belonging to the rest of the true cobras
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The monotypic snake of the genus rinkhals, the ring-necked spitting cobra, a species of elapid found in Africa closely related to theNaja genus
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Either of the two members of the genus Boulengerina, the water cobras, a pair of elapids found in Africa (now regarded by some experts as actually belonging to the genus Naja)
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Either member of the genus Aspidelaps, the shield cobras,[4] an African genus in the Elapidae whose hoods are not nearly as well developed as those of Naja
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Either of two species of the genus Pseudohaje, the tree cobras, a pair of African elapids which until recently were classified as belonging to Naja but are now considered a separate group
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Ophiophagus hannah, the king cobra, an elapid found in parts of India and southern Asia which, despite its name and reputation, is not classified among the "true" cobras
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Micrurus fulvius, the American cobra or eastern coral snake, a species of the Elapidae found in the southeastern United States and in parts of Cuba; this is one of the few types of cobra which is not capable of producing a hood
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Hydrodynastes gigas, the "false water cobra", the only species of the family Colubridae, a mildly venomous snake indigenous to parts of South America; though unrelated to the elapids, it still forms a hood if disturbed, though the hood is longer and narrower than those of "true" cobras and it does not rear upwards
Most species of cobras belong to the family Elapidae. Many other notoriously venomous snake species, including mambas, sea snakes, and coral snakes, also belong to the elapids, but are not cobras.
Although the bites of some species are extremely dangerous because of their potent neurotoxins, cobras have not been shown to attack people unprovoked. Cobras almost never attack without a threat display, which typically involves raising the hood and hissing.[citation needed]
Various species of cobras prey mainly on other snakes, birds, and small mammals, while their main natural predators in turn are other snakes, birds of prey, and small predatory mammals such as mongooses. The principal prey of the king cobra is other snakes.[citation needed]
Although most cobras do not make nests, some species protect their eggs until they hatch (incubation typically taking around 60 days).[citation needed]
For the external links , refrences click here to read the full wikipedia article
Video :
snake king cobra-national geographic
Baby Playing With Cobra Snake in India ☆ Snake Chanel Tv
Photo by Nireekshit. [CC-BY-SA-3.0]via Wikimedia Commons
COBRAS: ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW
ARE YOU FASCINATED BY THE MOST
FEARSOME SNAKE ON THE PLANET?
Hopefully this page will help you learn some informative and fast cobra facts. Don’t forget to bookmark our site and come back to learn lots more, and have some fun too!
Let us start by getting acquainted with Cobras…
Overall, there are around 270 types of Elapid Snakes (that include the Cobras and their relatives such as the Taipans, Adders, Mambas and others). There are around 28 types of Cobras, who are regarded as true Cobras. King Cobras are just one type of cobras, although they belong to a genus of their own.
Here’s a short clip showcasing 13 Types of True Deadly Cobras…
-How well can they smell? Cobras have a “Jacobsen’s Organ” (like most snakes) that gives them super smelling ability. They can sense tiny changes in temperature, which helps them track their prey at night.
- Can they hear? Cobras can hear, although they sense sound through contact with the ground much better than humans.
Jacobsen’s Organ: Gives the Cobra super smelling ability.
- How powerful is their Venom? Cobras venom is not the strongest there is, but cobras can inject so much venom in a single bite that they can kill an elephant. Sea snakes have deadlier venom, and rattlesnakes have weaker venom. Anyway, if you plan to be around venomous snakes – always have a Snakebite First Aid Kit close by. Coghalan’S Snake Bite Kit is one good option.
- Are they poisonous? Cobras are not poisonous, they are venomous. This means that even though they have deadly venom in their sacs, the rest of the snake is edible to predators, if they are brave enough to try!
- How can Snake Charmers avoid death? Many snake charmers remove the fangs or the venom sacs from their snakes, because it is too dangerous. This practice is illegal, and is considered inhumane to the snake. For those of you who want to do something about it, if by teaching others or helping those who teach, I urge you to visit ASP, an American nonprofit organization dedicated to changing the way people view and treat snakes. For our readers from India there is the famous non-profit organization “Friends of Snakes Society”, founded in 1995, which is dedicated to the protection of, and public education about, snakes.
The Snake Charmer. Photo by Rossella Apostoli
HOW DOES THE COBRA HOOD FUNCTION?
What is it made of? As Cobras grow bigger, their beautiful hood becomes a spectacle, but how does it work? Well, A cobras hood is created by the extension of the ribs behind the snakes’ head. It is primarily used to make the Cobra appear bigger and scarier. This amazing hood contains loose skin which the Cobra can inflate with air from his lungs, expanding the movable ribs. Take a look at the Cobra hood photo and drawing of the Cobra’s Anatomy, in order to get a better picture…
The Anatomy of a Cobra Snake.
- What did Scientists discover about the Hood? In 2010, scientists from the Washington State University in the U.S uncovered the mechanism behind the menacing “hood flare” that Cobras deploy for defensive means. The scientists measured the electrical activity of the Cobra’s muscles, and discovered the exact group of muscles used to raise the hoods. There were only 8 muscles found to be involved in the “hooding”. The interesting fact is, that these muscles were also present in non-hooding snakes. The scientists further claim that the Cobra’s hood evolved as its ribs were “co-opted” to be used in this unique visual display. These findings were reported in the Journal of Experimental Biology.
WHAT DO COBRAS EAT?
- Do they eat their own? Cobras will gladly devour birds, fish, frogs, toads, lizards, eggs and chicks raided from poultry houses, in addition to small mammals such as rabbits and rats, and even other snakes. To learn more about the menu of the most fearsome snake, read our post “What Do Cobras Eat?“.
- Did you know that Cobras are at the top of the food chain? Their only natural predators are the mongoose, a few large birds of prey like the Secretary Bird, and man of course. You are welcome to read more about the Cobra Predators.
- How smart are they? Cobras are very intelligent, and can learn quickly, which helps them avoid dangerous areas. As a Cobra owner for many years, John Klein wrote a great post on the Cobra’s snake brain and intelligence.
- Do they always inject? This is surely among the most surprising Cobra Facts on this list. Do you know that Cobras don’t always inject venom when they bite something? Well, they can do a “dry bite” if they choose to, without injecting the venom automatically. However, you can never know what a Cobra will do, so for any case whatsoever, it’s always wise to have a Snake Bite First Aid Kit at hand.
-What is the treatment for a Cobra bite? The best special medicine given to cobra bite victims, called “antivenin”, is made from cobra venom.
- How dangerous are babies? This might sound surprising, but baby cobras have full strength venom and can defend themselves exactly like their parents! So don’t be tempted to play with cute baby cobras…
- Are they legal? Obviously it is illegal to keep a cobra as a pet. Well that is at least the case in most places, because Cobras are so dangerous if handled by the wrong people.
- Are they Gods? Cobras are revered in India and Southeast Asia. The Hindus consider them manifestations of Shiva, the god of destruction and regeneration. The Buddhists believe a massive cobra spread its hood over the Buddha to protect him from the sun while he meditated. Cobra images guard the entrances of many Buddhist and Hindu temples. King Cobras have also been worshipped as sun deities and associated with rain, thunder, and fertility. On the annual lunar holiday of Nag Panchami, Hindus refrain from plowing and field work out of respect for cobras.
- The Super Cobra Snake Car: The Most sought-after car ever? In the early 1950’s, a young American named Carroll Shelby was one of the world’s first professional race car drivers. Later on he was told he could not drive anymore because of heart problems, so he begun building a new sports car. He called it AC Shelby Cobra, and it became one of the most sought-after and replicated cars ever. For more please read our great post “AC Shelby Cobra: The Story of a Super Snake Car”.
WHY ARE KING COBRAS GREAT PARENTS?
- What does their name mean? King Cobras, known also as the Ohiophagus hannah, eat other snakes! The Latin word for “snake-eater” is ophiophagus.
- Where do they live? King Cobras mainly inhabit Southern Asia and Northern Africa. Other species of cobras roam as far as Australia, New Guinea, and most of the Eastern hemisphere.
King Cobra Scientific Description. Photo by Blueringmedia