Snakes World

Natural background: Cobra is the common name for members of the family of venomous snakes, Elapidae, known for their deadly bite and intimidating looks. The Cobra Snake is recognized by the hoods that they flare when angry or disturbed; the hoods are created by the extension of the ribs behind the cobras’ heads. These reptiles are found throughout the Philippines, southern Asia, and Africa. The king cobra is the world’s longest venomous snake. The king cobra, or hamadryad, holds the record length of 24 ft. for a venomous snake! The king cobra is unique among snakes in that it makes a nest for its eggs, scraping up leaves and other debris in which to deposit them, and remains in the nest until the young hatch. It averages 3.7 m (12 ft) in length but is known to grow to 5.5 m (18 ft). It is thin, olive or brown in color, with bronze eyes. It is found in the Philippines, Malaysia, southern China, Burma, and the Malay Peninsula. The other cobra of Asia is known variously as the common, Asian, Indian, or spectacled cobra (due to the eyeglass-shaped pattern on its skin). It seldom reaches a length of more than 1.8 m (6 ft).

Distribution: It ranges from the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea to China and Malaysia. Most cobras are natives of Africa. Among them is the spitting, or black-necked cobra, found from southern Egypt to northern South Africa. Most cobras are natives of Africa. Among them is the spitting, or black-necked cobra, found from southern Egypt to northern South Africa. The ringhals, a different type of spitting cobra confined to southern Africa, is the smallest of the cobras, reaching only about 1.2 m (about 4 ft) in length. It is dark brown or black with ridged, or keeled, scales and light rings on the neck. The asp or Egyptian cobra is widely distributed throughout Africa, being the most common.

Diet and bite: Their preferred prey are rodents and birds. They do however also eat other snakes and some particular species as for instance the King Cobra, is said to have a preference for snakes. When threatened, however, the Cobra will make full use of its deadly force. They kill their prey by injecting the neurotoxic poison into the prey through their fangs. The neurotoxin of cobra snakes has the ability of destroying the communication across the connection constituting the contact points between nerve cells. When this communication is destroyed, the victim’s muscles cannot be used in any kind of defence. Not all cobra bites are venomous; some bites are so called dry bites which may cause serious infections due to bacteria from the cobra’s mouth. It is estimated that approximately 75 % of people receiving a bite from a Cobra will eventually die from the medical complications arising from the bite. A real (not dry) bite from a cobra will in the most severe cases cause death within 10 minutes. Cobras are famous for their use by snake charmers because they respond well to visual cues, and are of spectacular appearance.

Would you like to see a video of a Cobra being captured alive. See Joe Slowinski ride an elephant deep in the jungle. Click here for The Cobra Snake Video.

They are fascinating reptiles. Cobra is not the largest snake of all types, but is the longest poisonous snake. They are much different than a corn, garter, coral, pythons, and even the copperhead snakes. See pictures of snakes above for an appreciation of their beauty. For more information on the biggest snake in the world, see the home page for intriguing articles and discussions from other avid reptile enthusiasts.