Indian cobra(from the Latin Naja naja) is a poisonous scaly snake from the asp family, a kind of real cobra. This snake has a body, narrowing towards the tail, 1.5-2 meters long, covered with scales.

Like all other types of cobras, the Indian cobra has a hood that opens when this asp is excited. The hood is a kind of extension of the torso, which occurs due to the expanding ribs under the influence of special muscles.

The color palette of the cobra's body is quite variegated, but the main ones are shades of yellow, brown-gray, often sandy colors. Closer to the head there is a clearly defined pattern, resembling pince-nez or glasses along the contour, it is because of it that they call Indian cobra spectacled.

Scientists divide the Indian cobra into several main subspecies:

  • blind cobra (from Latin Naja naja coeca);
  • monocle cobra (from Latin Naja naja kaouthia);
  • spitting Indian cobra(from Latin Naja naja sputatrix);
  • Taiwanese cobra (from Latin Naja naja atra);
  • Central Asian cobra (from Latin Naja naja oxiana).

In addition to the above, there are several other very few subspecies. Often attributed to the species of the Indian spectacled cobra and Indian king cobra, but this is a slightly different kind that has big sizes and some other differences, although very similar in appearance.

Pictured is an Indian spitting cobra

The Indian cobra, depending on the subspecies, lives in Africa, almost throughout Asia and, of course, on the Indian continent. Within the territory of former USSR these cobras are common in the vast modern countries: Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan - a subspecies of the Central Asian cobra lives here.

Chooses to live in different areas from the jungle to the mountain ranges. On rocky terrain, it lives in crevices and various burrows. In China, they often settle in rice fields.

The nature and lifestyle of the Indian cobra

This type of poisonous snake is not at all afraid of a person and can often settle near his dwelling or in fields cultivated for harvest. Often Indian cobra nayu found in abandoned, dilapidated buildings.

This type of cobra just never attacks people if it does not see danger and aggression from them, it bites, injecting poison, only defending itself, and then, most often, it is not the cobra itself that serves as a deterrent, but its ominous hiss.

Making the first throw, it is also called deceptive, the Indian cobra does not produce venomous bite, but simply makes a headbutt, as if warning that the next throw could be fatal.

Pictured Indian cobra naya

In practice, if the snake managed to inject poison when bitten, then the bitten person has little chance of survival. One gram of Indian cobra venom can kill over a hundred medium-sized dogs.

spitting cobra, what is the name of the subspecies of the indian cobra, rarely bites at all. The method of its protection is based on the special structure of the canals of the teeth, through which the poison is injected.

These channels are not located at the bottom of the teeth, but in their vertical plane, and when a danger appears in the form of a predator, this snake sprays poison on it, at a distance of up to two meters, aiming at the eyes. The ingress of poison into the shell of the eye leads to a burn of the cornea and the animal loses its clarity of vision, if the poison is not quickly washed off, then further complete blindness is possible.

It should be noted that the Indian cobra's teeth are short, unlike other poisonous snakes, and rather fragile, which often leads to their chipping and breaking off, but instead of damaged teeth, new ones appear very quickly.

In India, there are many cobras living in terrariums with humans. People train this type of snake using the sounds of wind instruments, and with pleasure they make various performances with their participation.

There are many videos and photo of Indian cobra with a man who, playing the pipe, makes this asp rise up on his tail, opening his hood and, as it were, dancing under sounding music.

Indians have a positive attitude towards this species of snakes, considering them a national treasure. This people has many beliefs and epics associated with the Indian cobra. On other continents, this asp is also quite famous.

One of the most famous stories about the Indian cobra is a fairy tale famous writer Rudyard Kipling called Rikki-tikki-tavi. It tells about the confrontation between a fearless little and an Indian cobra.

Indian cobra food

The Indian cobra feeds, like most snakes, small mammals, mainly by rodents and birds, as well as amphibious frogs and toads. They often destroy bird nests by eating eggs and chicks. Also, other types of reptiles, including smaller poisonous snakes, go to food.

Large Indian cobra can easily swallow a large rat or a small one at a time. For a long time, up to two weeks, a cobra can do without water, but when it finds a source, it drinks quite a lot, storing liquid for the future.

Indian cobra, depending on the region of habitat, hunts at different times of the day and night. It can search for prey on the ground, in water bodies and even on tall vegetation. Outwardly clumsy, a snake of this kind perfectly crawls through trees and swims in the water, looking for food.

Reproduction and lifespan of the Indian cobra

Sexual maturity in Indian cobras occurs by the third year of life. The breeding season takes place in winter in January and February. After 3-3.5 months, the female snake lays eggs in the nest.

The clutch averages 10-20 eggs. This type of cobra does not incubate eggs, but after they are laid, they are constantly close to the nest, protecting their future offspring from external enemies.

After two months, the kites begin to hatch. Newborn cubs, freed from the shell, can easily move independently and quickly leave their parents.

Given that they are born immediately poisonous, these snakes do not need special care, since they themselves can protect themselves even from large animals. The life expectancy of the Indian cobra varies from 20 to 30 years, depending on its habitat and the availability of sufficient food in these places.

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 making 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 penetrates his body, then he can get sick, his nervous system will begin to suffer, the person will gradually become 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?

In India, this snake is elevated to the rank of revered animals; Since ancient times, she has played a large role in myths and legends, where she was credited with colossal magical powers.

As for the 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.

The spectacled snake (spectacled cobra) is one of the most venomous snakes on our planet.

Snakes… they are so different. Some are completely harmless, while others are deadly poisonous. But even the most harmless snake we are wary, because these animals do not really inspire confidence in all their appearance. In the snake kingdom there are such special representatives, whose appearance cannot be confused with anyone - these are cobras. The spectacled snake, or Indian cobra, is a prime example of such animals. Spectacled cobra belongs to the reptiles of the order of scaly snakes. She is a member of the aspid family, which includes the genus of real cobras.

What are the distinguishing features of the appearance of the Indian cobra?

The body of this reptile grows to a length of about 180 centimeters. The head is rounded and covered with large shields. On the head are two small eyes with round pupils.

The cobra's teeth are small, but among them there are two of the most prominent fangs, which are equipped with poisonous glands. The entire body of the animal is covered with very smooth scales, which have a variety of colors: from yellowish-gray to black. Home hallmark The Indian cobra is considered to have “glasses” painted on its upper body. This is a pattern that not only distinguishes the spectacled cobra from other snakes, but also performs a protective function, warning the predator of a possible retaliatory strike.

The habitat of the population of spectacled snakes

These reptile squads of scaly snakes live throughout India, and are also found in Pakistan and on the island of Sri Lanka, located off the southeastern coast of the Hindustan Peninsula in the Indian Ocean.

Behavioral features of the spectacled snake and its lifestyle in the wild

This type of cobra is very poisonous and dangerous. Its venom is deadly to animals and harmful to nervous system man - it has a paralyzing effect.


The spectacled snake inhabits fields, forests, and is found near human dwellings in cities and villages. He likes to settle in the ruins, termite mounds, climb under the roots of trees, in ravines and heaps of brushwood. May also live in highlands, reaching an altitude of 2700 meters above sea level.

When the Indian cobra senses danger, it expands its front ribs, while enlarging the upper body, forming a "hood". At this time, "glasses" appear on the dorsal part. This is the moment when the cobra is ready to jump and attack the enemy.

Indian cobra food

Her daily diet includes small mammals, mainly rodents (mice, rats) and reptiles.

How does the Indian cobra reproduce?


The mating season and mating season for these representatives of the asp family falls on January - February. After 2 months, in May, female spectacled snakes lay 10 to 20 eggs. Very rarely, the number of eggs in a clutch exceeds the average value. Most a large number of, noticed by researchers - 45 pieces.

Until the very appearance of small cobras, the “father” and “mother” keep in pairs, carefully and carefully protecting the clutch from predators. From the moment of laying eggs to the birth of Indian cobra cubs, about 70 - 80 days pass.

Natural enemies of a poisonous snake - do they exist?

In fact, even such a malicious and dangerous predator, like a spectacled cobra, has its enemies. The main hunter Indian snake is . After all, everyone knows the story of the brave Riki-Tiki-Tavi? This is not the author's fiction, in nature everything is exactly the way it is: a small mammalian predator deftly pounces on a spectacled snake, digging into its neck, and strikes it with lightning speed.

Spectacled cobra and man - what connects them?

In Indian culture, these reptiles are credited with magical properties, spectacled snakes are given the most honorable places in the ancient legends and legends of India.


AT modern world these kites are used to entertain the public and tourists. Special masters who know every habit of a spectacled snake and know how to handle it are called spellcasters. So, these spellcasters with the help of musical instruments make the snake “dance”. Of course, from a scientific point of view, this is not a dance at all, but simply the willingness of a snake to attack. But this is the whole "magic" of the caster. At the very moment when the snake opens its "hood", the trainer quickly closes it in a cage. Such entertainment with dancing snakes can be seen almost all over the world, and especially in India.

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 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.

Source: http://givotnie.com

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, Southern China, on the islands of the Malay Archipelago and the Philippines. The snake does not have certain requirements for a place of residence, it feels great in the dense jungle, and in rice fields, and next to 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.

Source: http://cosma.livejournal.com

The poison of the Indian cobra is very toxic, one dried gram is enough to kill 140 dogs. medium size. 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 to 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

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

King cobra or Hamadryad

Source: http://iiru.ru

The king cobra is the largest poisonous snake on the planet. It grows all 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 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.

At the meeting king cobras they measure their height, each tries to touch the top of the opponent, and the one who manages to do it first is the main one. The second one yields and tries to get out of the way as soon as possible.

Source: http://www.tepid.ru

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 the South and South-East Asia. The queen of snakes chooses her habitat rainforests and dense thickets of shrubs. 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 fights and 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.

  • Subclass: Lepidosauria = Lepidosaurs, scaled lizards
  • Order: Squamata Oppel = Scaled
  • Suborder: Serpentes (Ophidia) Linnaeus = Snakes
  • Family: Elapidae Boie, 1827 = Aspid snakes, asps

    • Species: Naja naja = Indian cobra, spectacled snake

    Indian cobra, or spectacled snake (Naja naja), called in India tshinta-negu, nalla-pamba, naga, in Burma, mue-science, 1.4-1.81 m long. It is fiery yellow in color, in certain lighting with ash-blue glitter; this color seems, however, pale, since the intervals between the scales are light yellow or white, and often the corners of individual scales are of the same color. On the back of the head light yellow or White color so predominates that the darker one appears only in the form of specks, and it is in this place that a pattern resembling glasses clearly stands out. These glasses are bordered by two black lines and are usually much lighter than the surrounding parts, while the places corresponding to the lenses of the glasses are either pure black or represent a light eye spot surrounded by a dark edge. The ventral side is off-white and often has broad black on the anterior third of the body. transverse stripes. But often there are also specimens that are black above, blackish-brown below, those that are olive-brown both above and below, and finally, those that are painted grayish above, whitish below; in addition, in some localities this species does not have a conspicuous pattern on the back of the head at all. The main differences from related species consist in the absence of large scutes behind the occipital ones, in the number of rows of scales in the middle of the body, of which there are 19-23 here, and in the insignificant height of the sixth labial.

    The spectacled snake is distributed throughout India, southern China, Burma, Siam, the Malay Peninsula, the large Sunda Islands with the exception of Sulawesi, the Andaman Islands and Ceylon, and in the west across Afghanistan, northeastern parts of Persia and southern regions Turkmenistan to the Caspian Sea. In the Himalayas, it is found up to a height of 2,500 m. Like most other snakes, it does not seem to be associated with a specific area, on the contrary, it settles wherever it finds a comfortable shelter and enough food. Her favorite home is abandoned mounds of termites, ruins, heaps of stones and wood, holes in clay walls and similar heaps of rubbish, containing holes and hidden gaps that serve as a refuge for the spectacled snake. Tennent points out that in Ceylon it, along with the so-called big-eyed snake (Ptyas mucosus), represents the only snakes that do not avoid the proximity of human dwellings. She is attracted here by the sewage ditches, and perhaps also by the prey she expects to get here, namely rats, mice and small chickens.

    Often, a flood also forces her to look for the overlying parts of the country that are not flooded with water, and at the same time the huts built there. Until she is disturbed, she usually lies lazily and sluggishly in front of the entrance to her dwelling, and when a person appears, as a rule, she hides hastily and, only driven to the extreme, rushes at the attacker. If she is not irritated, for example, if she goes hunting, she crawls along the ground writhing, with her head barely raised and her neck not extended; if she is irritated or even frightened, she immediately assumes the position characteristic of this genus, preparing for an attack. Although it is a diurnal snake, it avoids heat and generally the burning rays of the sun and begins hunting only in the late afternoon hours and often continues to crawl late at night, and therefore some authors unequivocally consider it a nocturnal animal.

    All observers call her movements slow, but she is more dexterous than they think: she not only knows how to swim, but to a certain extent she can also climb. One cobra, which fell into the moat and could not climb its steep walls, swam easily and freely for several hours, holding its head and neck shield above the water; others even volunteered to go to sea. While the Wellington, a government fishery superintendent ship, was at anchor in Coudremel Bay about a quarter of a mile from the shore, one day, about an hour before sunset, a spectacled snake was sighted from her. She sailed straight for the ship, and when she approached 12 m, the sailors began to throw pieces of wood and other objects at her and forced her to turn towards the shore. The next morning, the animal's footprint was found on the shore where it emerged from the water, and they tracked it to the nearby jungle. Later, one cobra was found and killed on the same ship, which could only get on it along the anchor chain; this proves that she can climb well. Tennent heard that one spectacled snake was found in the top of a coconut tree; "she was attracted, as they said, by the palm juice that oozed at this time"; in reality, she probably climbed a palm tree to hunt birds or rob nests. They are often seen on the roofs of houses.

    The food of the cobra consists exclusively of small animals and, it seems, mainly of reptiles and amphibians, at least Tennent indicates as prey that she pursues, lizards, frogs and toads, Fairer, in addition, also fish and insects. That it must be dangerous for young chickens, mice, and rats is already sufficiently clear from the data I have given of the first of the above-named investigators; that she also robs birds' nests and especially looks for eggs of domestic birds in chicken coops and pigeon houses, Fairer mentions. She has little interest in other snakes and does not seem to pursue them. She drinks a lot, but can also for a long time to endure thirst without harm, according to observations of captive cobras, for several weeks and even months.

    Regarding the reproduction of the cobra, Fairer says that it lays up to 18 oblong white soft-shelled eggs, which are equal in size to the eggs of a domestic pigeon. Finson increases this number to 12-20. The Indians tell the same thing about the spectacled snake that the ancients say about the Egyptian cobra related to it: that the male and the female show a certain mutual affection, that where you catch one cobra, for the most part, soon after you notice another, etc., one in a word, that spectacled snakes have married life, and that both sexes stick strongly together. Tennent remarks that he has twice had occasion to make observations which seem to corroborate this account. One adult cobra was killed in the bath of the government house in Colombo, and "her companion" was found the next day in the same place; in the same way, when a cobra fell into the moat, on the same morning its “comrade” was found in the neighboring moat. Whether this happened precisely during the mating period and, therefore, is explained in a very natural way, Tennent does not say anything about this, and therefore we do not know how much this can be considered a matter of chance. Concerning the cubs, the Singhalese say that they become poisonous no earlier than the 13th day, when the first molt occurs.