Indian cobra. Lifestyle and habitat of the Indian cobra. Spectacled snake - description of where it lives, features Naya cobra

Latin name the king cobra - Ophiophagus hannah - is translated as "eating a snake", but it does not apply to true cobras - representatives of the genus Naja, 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. hallmark The king cobra is a narrow hood in the region of 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. IN Lately there is a tendency for king cobras to move closer to human habitation, and there is an explanation for this.

Firstly, such neighborhood often occurs during the rainy season and, secondly, the extensive spread of agricultural production in Asian countries leads to deforestation, which is natural environment the habitat of these snakes. In addition to this, cobras are often seen in crop areas where many rodents live, 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 it doesn't happen that 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 does not pose a danger to him, and the final stage of mating games begins - mating.

King Cobra- one of the few snakes who are building 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, she is often credited aggressive behavior and attack for no apparent reason, although all its 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, out of 20-40 kites adult life reach only 2-4.

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.

Have you heard of 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 posture and hiss. Even if the offender does not leave, but rather approaches, the snake will not bite him immediately. To begin with, a cobra will simply hit a careless 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 a snake, stroke it or do 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, to make less profit.

However, the venom of the Indian cobra is very poisonous, so you should not put such experiments on it. Especially if you met her in the wild. And spectacled snakes live on a rather large territory. 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. At home, Indian cobras are revered by the local population. It is believed that the drawing in the form 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 closed it from the sun. In gratitude, he awarded all Indian cobras with such a kind of protection. And the truth is: at the sight of an 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, able to deftly avoid the attacks of the Indian cobra. Mongooses not only kill the snakes themselves, but also ruin their masonry. Of course, the reptile defends its offspring with the last of its strength, but even if it manages to bite the arrogant animal, most likely it will avoid death.

The length of an adult Indian cobra is 1.5-2 meters. She has a very spectacular variegated color with a predominance of fiery yellow. On smooth skin, a blue sheen is also clearly visible. In general, in different subspecies, the color varies from brown to yellow-gray. Among spectacled snakes, completely black individuals sometimes come across. Young people are easily distinguished by wide horizontal stripes that disappear with age.

Indian cobras are caring mothers. They search for a suitable warm place for masonry for a long time, and then desperately defend it. Sometimes a male can be seen next to the female. You should not approach the couple, as the snakes become very aggressive during this period. As a rule, there are one to 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 assumed that she is able to live up to 20-25 years.

Spectacled cobra is one of the many dangerous and poisonous snakes that live on Earth. Snakes are different: some of them are absolutely harmless, and some are really dangerous. However, people to this day treat all of them with prejudice, since they are not very conducive to themselves with their appearance. Among the snakes there are individuals that anyone recognizes - cobras. bright representative of this species is the Indian cobra, or, as it is also called, the spectacled snake, which is scaly. It originates from the family of asps, and those, in turn, are from the genus of real cobras.

What does such a cobra look like?

spectacled snake can reach up to 180 cm in length. Its head is slightly rounded, and on its surface there are several large scutes. An individual has two eyes with round pupils, which inseparably follow what is happening.

The teeth of the Indian cobra are small, which cannot be said about two fangs: they not only differ from the rest in their size, but also contain a supply of poison. The body of the snake is covered with small scales with a rich color palette: they can be either light yellow or brown, and even black. As regards such individuals, early age, then they have black transverse stripes, which later disappear. The sign by which the cobra can be easily distinguished from other snakes is the pattern on the upper part of its body in the form of glasses. He shows predators coming from the rear that the reptile is, as it were, turned in their direction and warns of an immediate reaction, which more than once saves the snake's life.

The cobra is not very fast: it moves slowly and clumsily, but when it comes time to move through the trees on high altitude, then she does it quite cleverly.

Where does the spectacled snake live?

Such reptiles prefer warm climate: they can be easily found in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, as well as east coast Hindustan near the Indian Ocean.

Representatives of this species live in fields and tropical forests often make their way to residential areas. Sometimes they are seen in ruins, caves and deep ravines, under the roots of sprawling trees, and even in brushwood. The Indian cobra is able to live even in the mountains at an altitude of 2.5 km above sea level.

How does a spectacle snake live?

This cobra is a threat to living beings, including humans. If the poison enters his body, then he can get sick, he will begin to suffer nervous system, a person is gradually paralyzed, after which, if left untreated, death occurs.

When the snake senses that a predator is approaching it, it hisses loudly and inflates its "hood" by expanding all the front ribs, as a result of which a pattern of points appears on the back. At this time, the cobra is ready to attack the enemy. If you ignore this alarm signal, then the snake will immediately jump, starting to defend itself: it bites and thereby poisons the enemy. However, she never attacks from behind or surreptitiously, and even if she attacks, she often does not inject poison: this is because she does not want to waste it.

What does a spectacled snake eat?

Despite its poison, the cobra is not too much of a threat to humans: at the sight of people, it tries to crawl away. The fact is that it feeds exclusively on small mammals, rodents, chickens and reptiles. Sometimes its diet includes amphibians and birds; she may attack their nests (if they are too low) and steal the eggs. It happens like this: first, the snake injects poison into the body of the victim by means of a bite, after which it can swallow it.

The start of the mating season for the snake falls in the middle of winter, and already at the end of May, the females begin to lay their first eggs. Usually their number reaches 20 pieces, but sometimes it happens that as many as 45 pieces can lie in a clutch.

The female and male are together from the beginning of the mating season until the birth of the cubs: they do not incubate eggs, but do not leave future snakes. This is necessary so that the masonry is reliably protected from predators, and they do not break. This period lasts from 70 to 80 days. Once hatched, the young can be deadly, as their teeth contain poison for self-defense. They live for about 30 years, if they do not die earlier due to the attack of predators.

Who is afraid of the Indian cobra?

The spectacled snake has many enemies, the main of which is the mongoose, a small predator that is able to make sharp and fast movements, thereby avoiding its bites. In addition, the sensitivity to the poison of such a snake is much lower than that of other animals. The mongoose attacks the cobra from a jump, turning away and jumping away from its throws, and then easily sinks its teeth into its neck.

How does a person use the Indian cobra?

Concerning modern world, now the Indian cobra is used as an entertainment for tourists. The main thing is to know all the habits of the snake and study its behavior - this is the only way to avoid the risk of being poisoned! This field is especially popular with spellcasters who use various musical instruments for their work - most often a pipe. From the side it seems that the snake begins to dance to the sounds of music, but this is not so - it has no hearing organs, and the cobra does not hear anything, which means that during this time it is preparing for an attack, expanding its ribs. When a pattern of goggles appears on the back, this means that the snake is becoming too dangerous to continue observing, and the caster locks the cage with a quick movement.

Cobra is common name different 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 maximum size at 5.85 meters and weighing 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 the plants of the most different colors, inhabit bright views: 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 the front part of the narrow upper jaw, a "seam" is noticeable 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 total there are 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 chemical composition 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 lead night image life. average speed 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 climate zone in which they live, their breeding season can begin both in spring and in 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 part of 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. Average weight 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-venomous snakes(cobras, boygs, kraits, keffis, snakes), sometimes the cobra also 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 swaying from side to side (royally). If a person who notices threatening posture snakes, freeze 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 the populations living in different places, can be very different. 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 glasses 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 view does not form large groups, and even in spring, more than 2-3 individuals cannot be found 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. mating season the snake comes 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 - 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, cobra food is 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 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 and spots scattered over it. irregular shape. 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, Democratic Republic Congo, Republic of the Congo, 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) allocated to a separate genus due to some important distinctive 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 poisonous snake pretty 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 is only one light circle, and not two, like 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 color, intersected 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 spectacled snake, or as it is also called, the Indian cobra, comes from the family of asps, a genus of real cobras. This snake lives in the countries of Central and East Asia. She meets like in the wilds tropical jungle as well as in open spaces. Very often you can encounter a spectacled cobra on the outskirts of cities and on farms. Her favorite places are the ruins of houses, wood or stone heaps, clay walls with holes.

The appearance of a spectacled cobra

The spectacled cobra reaches sizes from 1.5 to 1.9 m. Its coloration largely depends on the environment where the snake lives. Most often, yellow or light gray individuals are found. But sometimes, much less often, you can see a snake that has a black color. The belly of the spectacled cobra is light, almost white. The head has a rounded shape, the eyes are small, with round pupils. She has two poisonous fangs that are located in the upper jaw.
Dark spots were placed 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. It lifts the body vertically by 1/3 part, inflates the neck like a hood, turning it into a completely flat one. That's when the "glasses" on the back of the head become well visible.

Lifespan, reproduction of the spectacled cobra

The spectacled cobra lays its eggs from mid-spring to mid-summer. At the same time, she uses places that used to be rodent burrows, 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 the climatic conditions. Newborn cobras hatch at 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 frighten passers-by with their hooded necks. The spectacled cobra lives for about 20 years. Offspring begin to give in the third year of life.

How it behaves, what the spectacled cobra eats

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, when attacking, releases poison quite rarely. Usually just bites at the sight of danger. This snake is a predator, it feeds on small rodents, preys on toads and frogs, and does not disdain even other snakes.

Interesting cases from life

Very often, spectacled cobra is used by magicians in their show programs. They keep it in a basket, and for the performance they open the lid and begin to play 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 believe that magicians remove fangs from cobras to protect themselves, but this is not true. Even if you pull 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.