Does the spectacled cobra have echolocation? Indian cobra. What are the distinctive features of the appearance of the Indian cobra?

Have you heard about the famous cobra dance in front of the snake charmer? So, its main participant is the Indian cobra or spectacled snake (lat. Naja naja ). It is she who slowly sways from side to side, as if obeying enchanting music. In fact, the snake, of course, cannot hear anything - it simply does not have ears. But why doesn't she bite the trainer?

Yes, simply because he managed to study his ward well. After all, Indian cobras, in general, are not too aggressive. They prefer to scare the enemy with their threatening pose and hissing. Even if the offender does not leave, but rather approaches, the snake will not immediately bite him. To begin with, the cobra will simply hit an unwary person with its forehead, and only then can it use its poisonous teeth.

A street magician knows all this very well, therefore, acting carefully, he can even kiss the snake, stroke it, or perform other tricks with it. Some, however, believe that he first breaks out the cobra’s teeth, but this is not so. “Dancing” with a toothless snake means ruining your reputation. And ultimately make less profit.

However, the poison Indian cobra It is very poisonous, so you should not perform such experiments on it. Especially if you met her in the wild. And spectacled snakes live over a fairly large area. Their range extends from Central Asia, India and China up to the Philippines and the islands of the Malay Archipelago.

Most often, spectacled snakes are found in rice fields, in the jungle, as well as in gardens and parks. In their homeland, Indian cobras are revered by the local population. It is believed that the pattern of rings on the hood was given to them by the Buddha himself. After all, once upon a time, one of their predecessors opened her hood over the sleeping Buddha and blocked him from the sun. In gratitude, he awarded all Indian cobras with such a unique protection. And it’s true: when you see something unusual spectacle pattern on the back, the predator is lost and does not dare to attack from the back.

And these snakes have more than enough enemies. Especially dangerous are the agile ones, capable of deftly avoiding the attacks of the Indian cobra. Mongooses not only kill the snakes themselves, but also destroy their nests. Of course, the reptile does its best to protect its offspring, but even if it manages to bite the impudent animal, most likely it will avoid death.

The length of an adult Indian cobra is 1.5-2 meters. She has a very impressive variegated color with a predominance of fiery yellow. A blue sheen is also clearly visible on smooth skin. In general, the color varies among different subspecies from brown to yellow-gray. Among spectacled snakes, sometimes completely black individuals are found. Juveniles are easily distinguished by their wide horizontal stripes, which disappear with age.

Indian cobras are caring mothers. They spend a long time looking for a suitable warm place for laying, and then desperately protect it. Sometimes a male can be seen next to the female. You should not approach the couple, as snakes become very aggressive during this period. As a rule, there are one or two dozen eggs in a clutch (rarely - up to 45).

The incubation period is 2.5-3 months, after which 32-centimeter snakes are born. Babies are not so harmless: they are poisonous and quite independent. They feed on small frogs and lizards. A little later they switch to mice, rats and bird eggs.

The exact lifespan of the Indian cobra has not been established. It is estimated that she can live to be 20-25 years old.

The spectacled snake (see photo below) received this name because of the pattern, which consists of two rings with a bow located on the back side of its hood. This element is a specific feature of all cobras.

It is an area of ​​the neck that swells when exposed to a specific muscle group. This happens when the cobra is aggressive or scared.

Habitats

You can meet a spectacled snake in nature only in countries with warm climate. It lives throughout the entire space from India, Central Asia and Southern China to the Philippines and the islands of the Malay Archipelago. The cobra's favorite places are the jungle and sometimes it crawls into city parks and garden plots.

The cobra lives in various places. It can settle under the roots of trees, in piles of brushwood, in ruins and rocky screes. At the same time, she prefers places located close to human habitation. A snake can also live high in the mountains, in areas up to two thousand seven hundred meters above sea level.

External description

The Indian cobra, also called the spectacled snake, has a body length of one and a half to two meters. The main color of its scales is fiery yellow, giving off a bluish sheen. The slightly blunt and rounded head of the cobra transitions very smoothly into the body. The snake's small eyes have round pupils. There are large shields on the head.
The cobra's paired venomous fangs are located on its upper jaw. One to three small teeth follow at some distance from them.

Torso spectacled cobra, covered with smooth scales, turns into thin a long tail. The coloring of individuals of this species can vary significantly even among those representatives that live in the same area. The general background of the body is colors from grayish-yellow to brown and even black. The belly of a cobra is yellowish-brown or light gray.

The coloring pattern of young individuals is somewhat different. Transverse dark stripes are clearly visible on their body. With age, they gradually fade and subsequently disappear altogether.

The most notable difference in the snake's coloration is the so-called spectacles. This light, clear pattern is especially visible when the cobra is aggressive.
The spectacled snake is clumsy and rather slow in its movements. However, if necessary, she is an excellent swimmer and climbs trees.

Behavior in case of danger

When threatened, the spectacled snake raises the front third of its body vertically. At the same time, she spreads the eight anterior pairs of cervical ribs to the side. In case of danger, the cobra holds its head towards the enemy in a horizontal position. In such a situation, the neck expands and becomes flatter. It is then that the bright eye-shaped pattern characteristic of this type of cobra appears. The value of “glasses” for a snake is very great. The fact is that in the event of a predator attacking from the rear, they create the impression that the cobra’s head is turned towards it. This deters the reptile's enemies.

Reproduction

The spectacled snake mates in January-February. And already in May, females lay eggs. As a rule, a clutch contains from ten to twenty eggs (very rarely up to forty-five). Males and females live in pairs not only during the mating period, but also until the moment when the young are born. The laying of eggs is necessarily protected by one of the parents.

The eggs develop in seventy to eighty days.

Enemies and victims

The spectacled snake has many enemies. However, the most dangerous for her is the mongoose. This is a small predator that belongs to the civet family. The mongoose is capable of attacking a snake of any size. It easily jumps away, avoiding the throws of the Indian cobra, and at the right moment, it grabs its neck with its sharp teeth. The mongoose has reduced sensitivity to cobra venom. However, he still tries to avoid her bites.
The spectacled snake is very poisonous. However, it does not pose a threat to humans. The fact is that it first poisons its victim with poison, and then swallows it whole. The snake feeds on various reptiles, rats and mice. Therefore, the person is not of particular interest to her.

In the event that a menacing hiss is heard nearby, anyone can understand that a cobra is nearby. The spectacled snake warns a person of a possible attack. If the situation is left unattended, a big disaster can happen. The cobra will begin to defend itself, which means it will bite and poison its offender. Its poison is very strong. Once bitten, a person may become ill or die.

The Spectacled Snake is revered. There are many tales and legends about it. Cobra is used by snake charmers during their performances. It is kept in wicker round baskets. Before the performance, the lid of the basket is removed and the cobra takes its spectacular pose. The caster plays while swaying to the music. The snake does not hear sounds. She lacks an external auditory organ. However, the cobra swayed after him. From the outside it seems that the reptile is dancing.

The spectacled snake or Indian cobra belongs to the family of asps and is included in the genus of true cobras. The reptile lives in Central Asia. These are India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka. The snake can be found in impenetrable jungle and on open area. It rises to a height of 2 thousand meters above sea level. It is often found on the outskirts of cities and in farms, as it feeds on rats and mice.

The head is round, the eyes are small, the pupil is round. Poisonous fangs are located on the upper jaw. The length of the reptile reaches 1.7-1.9 meters. The maximum length reaches 2.4 meters. A notable feature of the snake is that when in danger, it raises a third of its body vertically and spreads its upper cervical ribs to the sides. At the same time, the neck expands significantly and becomes flat. And on the stretched skin at the back, a pattern clearly appears. In its outline it resembles glasses. Hence the name “spectacled”.

The body color of the reptile is quite variable and depends on its habitat. The main background varies from light gray to brown. It even comes in black. The belly is light with a slight yellowish tint. Young snakes have dark stripes located transversely on their bodies. They disappear with age.

Reproduction and lifespan

This species is oviparous. Eggs are laid between April and July. To do this, abandoned termite mounds or rodent burrows are selected. There are from 10 to 30 eggs in a clutch. Incubation period lasts 60-70 days. The hatched snakes reach a length of 20-30 cm. They are already poisonous and immediately begin an independent life. Sexual maturity occurs in the 3rd year of life. IN wildlife The spectacled snake lives up to 20 years.

Behavior and nutrition

The Indian cobra has a very strong poison, which paralyzes the victim's muscles. In humans, symptoms of poisoning appear within 15 minutes to 2 hours. It all depends on what part of the body the poisonous fangs are embedded in. But death occurs only in 6 cases out of 1000. This is explained by the fact that, when defending itself, the snake does not always release poison. In most cases, it is limited to a normal bite. The reptile feeds on rodents, toads, frogs, birds and other types of snakes.

The formidable reptile is very popular among magicians and fakirs. It is representatives of this species that they use in their performances. The spectacled snake is kept in a wicker basket, and when people gather around, the lid is removed and the poisonous reptile rises from it. There is an opinion that spellcasters pull out poisonous fangs to protect themselves. But that's not true. In place of the removed fangs, new ones grow very quickly, and poison is produced in any case. In addition, after the performance, spectators often demand to show their fangs. If they are not there, the fakir will be ridiculed.

These reptiles are kept in captivity. In principle, there is nothing wrong with this, since the Indian cobra never bites unless necessary. If you do not show aggression towards her, then she will behave calmly. A snake lives in a terrarium. The temperature in it is maintained at 28-30 degrees. Humidity corresponds to 60-80%. The diet consists of rodents, frogs, toads and lizards. This species is highly respected in India. In Hindu mythology, this reptile is considered a powerful deity. The fearsome reptile is worshiped during the Nag Panchami festival.

The spectacled snake, or as it is also called, the Indian cobra, comes from the asp family, a genus of true cobras. This snake lives in the countries of Central and East Asia. She meets like in the wilds tropical jungle, and in open spaces. Very often you can encounter spectacled cobras on the outskirts of cities and on farms. Her favorite places are ruins of houses, wood or stone heaps, clay walls with holes.

Appearance of a spectacled cobra

The spectacled cobra reaches sizes from 1.5 to 1.9 m. Its color largely depends on the environment where the snake lives. The most common are yellow or light gray individuals. But sometimes, much less often, you can see a black snake. The belly of the spectacled cobra is light, almost white. The head has a round shape, the eyes are small, with round pupils. She has two poisonous fangs, which are located in the upper jaw.
There were dark spots on the back of the head, which created a peculiar pattern in the form of glasses. For this, the snake got its name. This image can be seen especially clearly when the cobra senses danger. She raises her body vertically by 1/3, inflates her neck like a hood, turning it completely flat. That’s when the “glasses” on the back of the head become clearly visible.

Lifespan, reproduction of spectacled cobra

The spectacled cobra lays eggs from mid-spring to mid-summer. She uses places that were previously burrows of rodents, hollows of birds or animals, inactive termite mounds and even heaps of fallen leaves. One clutch of a snake consists of 10-30 eggs. The incubation period lasts two and sometimes three months. It all depends on climatic conditions. Newborn cobros hatch with a size of 20-30 cm. From the first days they are independent and at the same time poisonous. Cubs, as well as adult snakes, can scare passersby with their hooded necks. The spectacled cobra lives for about 20 years. They begin to produce offspring in the third year of life.

How does the spectacled cobra behave and what does it eat?

The venom of the spectacled cobra is quite strong. It has the ability to paralyze the muscular activity of its victim. If a snake bites a person, the effect of the poison will begin from the first hour. But at the same time cases with fatal small (6 to 1000). The reason lies in the fact that the spectacled cobra rarely releases poison when attacking. Usually it just bites when it sees danger. This snake is a predator; it feeds on small rodents, hunts toads and frogs, and does not even disdain other snakes.

Interesting cases from life

Very often, the spectacled cobra is used by magicians in their show programs. They keep it in a basket, and during the performance they open the lid and start playing the pipe. At this time, a snake rises from the basket, sways, repeating the movements musical instrument. This creates the effect of a dance. Some people believe that magicians remove fangs from cobras to protect themselves, but this is not true. Even if you tear them out, new ones will soon appear in the same place. And if the public finds out about this action, everyone will make fun of the magician and drive him away.

Indian cobra or spectacled snake

Source: http://iiru.ru

The Indian cobra, or spectacled snake, got its name for a reason. She is bright and extravagant. The main color of her overalls 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 ​​the ribs there is a wonderful identification mark - a white applique in the form of pince-nez.

Source: http://givotnie.com

Among these snakes there are also those that have one eyepiece in the applique; 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, Southern China, the islands of the Malay Archipelago and the Philippines. The snake has no specific requirements for its place of residence; it thrives in dense jungles, rice fields, and in the vicinity of humans: in parks and garden plots.

In July, the female lays from 9 to 19 eggs, from which babies hatch in late August-early September. The Indian cobra does not hatch eggs, but after laying eggs it is always nearby, protecting future offspring from offenders.

The 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.

Source: http://cosma.livejournal.com

The venom of the Indian cobra is very toxic; one dried gram is enough to kill 140 medium-sized dogs. In humans, the effects of a bite appear within 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 be tamed. The charmer 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 to attack, but it seems that it is dancing. And the caster risks his life every second of his performance. In order to stay alive, he studies the character and habits of his pet in the smallest detail and as soon as he sees that it is ready to attack, he immediately puts it back in the basket. Skilled charmers can distract the snake's attention so much that they manage an incredible trick - kissing a snake; less skillful ones - remove the cobra's teeth. But the latter is rarely practiced: firstly, spectators can ask the caster to show the cobra's teeth, and if they do not appear, he is expelled in disgrace. Secondly, having lost its teeth, the cobra is deprived of poison and cannot digest its prey, therefore it is doomed to a slow and hungry death. Thirdly, changing a pet every 2-3 months is a troublesome and expensive task for a spellcaster.

Fearless Cobra Tamer

Source: http://www.youtube.com/

King cobra or hamadryad

Source: http://iiru.ru

King cobra is the largest poisonous snake on the planet. It grows throughout its life and grows up to 4-5 meters.

Source: http://www.zoopicture.ru

The largest king cobra was caught in Malaysia in 1937; from the tip of its nose to the tip of its 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 if the zoo was bombed, the cobra could not escape and cause trouble. Average weight adult with an impressive size of only 5-6 kg, so the cobra does not look massive like a python or anaconda.

When meeting, king cobras measure their height, each one 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 gives in and tries to get out of the way as quickly as possible.

Source: http://www.tepid.ru

The color of the cobra's overalls, depending on where it lives, 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 its head, similar to a crown.

You can meet the King Cobra in South and South-East Asia. The queen of snakes chooses her habitat rainforests and dense thickets of bushes. In densely populated India, forests are being actively cut down. Therefore, the snake had to adapt to new conditions and learn to live next to a person, although people are not very happy about such a dangerous neighbor.

Source: http://www.zoopicture.ru

During the mating period, males, having collided in the same territory, arrange ritual fights and dances, while they do not bite each other (even if they did bite, nothing terrible 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 his forefathers, if something goes wrong.

The female lays 20-40 eggs in the nest. In order not to inadvertently eat the baby snakes, shortly before their appearance, it crawls away to hunt in order to eat enough.