How to get rid of spectacled cobras in humans. What to do with a cobra bite. What measures can be taken in case of a cobra bite

Cobra is common name different types 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 a maximum size of 5.85 meters and a mass of 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 plants of various colors are found, bright species live: 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. characteristic feature 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 Central Asian type), 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, there are a total of 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.

Sense organ having for snakes essential- 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 the South, West, East and Central Asia, in the Philippine and Sunda Islands. They prefer arid places: savannas, deserts, semi-deserts. Less common in tropical forests, in the 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 are nocturnal. 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 where they live, their breeding season can begin in both the spring and 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)
  • View collared cobra(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 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. The average weight of a 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 the snake's threatening posture freezes 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 populations living in different places can vary greatly. 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.

hallmark 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 eats and bird eggs. The mating season of the snake begins 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 it 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, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, the 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 venomous snake is quite 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 there is only one light circle, and not two, like in 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, crossed 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.

It is still unclear why this cobra was nicknamed the king. Perhaps because of its considerable size (4-6 m), which distinguish it from other cobras, or because of the arrogant habit of eating other snakes, abhorring small rodents, birds and frogs.

Description of the king cobra

It is a member of the asp family, forming its own (eponymous) genus and species - the king cobra. In case of danger, it knows how to push the chest ribs so that the upper part of the body turns into a kind of hood. This neck puffing trick is due to the skin folds hanging down the sides of the neck. There is a small flat zone at the top of the snake's head, the eyes are small, usually dark.

The name “cobra” was awarded to her by the Portuguese who came to India at the dawn of the 16th century. Initially, they called the spectacled cobra the "snake in the hat" ("cobra de capello"). Then the nickname lost its second part and was assigned to all representatives of the genus.

Between themselves, herpetologists call the snake hannah, starting from its Latin name Ophiophagus hannah, and divide reptiles into two large separate groups:

• Continental/Chinese- with wide stripes and an even pattern throughout the body;
• insular/Indonesian- monophonic individuals with reddish uneven spots on the throat and with light (thin) transverse stripes.

By the color of the young snake, it is already possible to understand which of the two types it belongs to: the young of the Indonesian group shows light transverse stripes that merge with the abdominal shields along the body. True, there is also an intermediate color, due to the erased boundaries between the types. The color of the scales on the back depends on the habitat and can be yellow, brown, green and black. The scales of the underbelly are usually lighter and colored creamy beige.

This is interesting! The king cobra is able to "roar". A growl-like sound comes out of the throat when the snake is enraged. The tracheal diverticula, which sound at low frequencies, serve as an instrument for a deep laryngeal "roar". It's a paradox, but another "snarling" snake is considered to be a green snake, which often ends up on Hannah's dinner table.

Range, habitats of the king cobra

Southeast Asia (the recognized homeland of all asps), together with South Asia, have become the habitual habitat of the king cobra. The reptile settled in the tropical forests of Pakistan, the Philippines, South China, Vietnam, Indonesia and India (south of the Himalayas).

As it turned out as a result of tracking with the help of radio beacons, some hannas never leave their inhabited areas, but some snakes actively migrate, moving tens of kilometers.

IN last years Hannas are increasingly settling next to human habitation. This is due to the development in Asia of large-scale agricultural production, for the needs of which forest areas are cut down, where cobras are used to living.

At the same time, the expansion of cultivated areas leads to the reproduction of rodents that attract small snakes, which the king cobra likes to eat.

Length and lifestyle

If a king cobra does not get caught in a mongoose's tooth, it may well live 30 years or more. The reptile grows throughout its long life, shedding 4 to 6 times a year. Molting takes about 10 days and is stressful for the snake organism: the hannah becomes vulnerable and looks for a warm shelter, which is often human housing.

This is interesting! The king cobra crawls on the ground, hiding in burrows/caverns and climbing trees. Eyewitnesses claim that the reptile also swims well.

Many people know about the ability of a cobra to take a vertical stance, using up to 1/3 of its body.. Such a strange hovering does not prevent the cobra from moving, and also serves as a tool for dominating neighboring cobras. The winner is that of the reptiles, which, having risen higher, will be able to “peck” its opponent on the top of the head. The humiliated cobra changes its vertical position to a horizontal one and ingloriously retreats.

Enemies of the king cobra

Hannah is no doubt extremely venomous, but not immortal. And she has several natural enemies, which include:

• wild boars;
• serpent eagles;
• meerkats;
• mongooses.

The last two do not give king cobras a chance of salvation, although they do not have innate immunity against king cobra venom. They have to rely solely on their reaction and skill, which rarely fail them. The mongoose, seeing a cobra, comes into a hunting passion and does not miss the opportunity to attack it.

The animal knows about Hannah's some lethargy and therefore uses a well-developed tactical technique: jump - bounce, and again rush into the fight. After a series of false attacks, one lightning-fast bite to the back of the head follows, leading to the death of the snake.

Her offspring are also threatened by larger reptiles. But the most ruthless killer of the king cobra was the man who killed and caught these snakes.

Food, king cobra prey

The scientific name Ophiophagus hannah ("snake eater") is due to its unusual gastronomic habits. The Hannahs eat their own kind with great pleasure - such snakes as boigis, keffis, snakes, pythons, kraits and even cobras. Much less often, the king cobra includes in its menu large lizards, including monitor lizards. In some cases, the prey of a cobra is its own cubs..

On the hunt, the snake leaves its inherent phlegm: it swiftly pursues the victim, first grabbing it by the tail, and then thrusting it sharp teeth closer to the head vulnerable spot). Hanna kills her prey with a bite by injecting a powerful toxin into her body. Cobra teeth are short (only 5 mm): they do not fold like other poisonous snakes. Because of this, the hanna is not limited to a quick bite, but is forced, while holding the victim, to bite it several times.

This is interesting! Cobra does not suffer from gluttony and withstands a long hunger strike (about three months): just as much as it takes her to hatch offspring.

snake breeding

Males fight for the female (without biting), and she goes to the winner, who, however, can dine with the chosen one if she is already fertilized by someone. Sexual intercourse is preceded by a short courtship, where the partner must make sure that the girlfriend does not kill him (this also happens). Mating takes an hour, and a month later, the female lays her eggs (20-40) in a pre-built nest consisting of branches and leaves.

The structure, up to 5 meters in diameter, is being built on a hill to avoid flooding during heavy rains. The desired temperature (+26+28) is maintained by increasing/decreasing the volume of rotting leaves. Married couple(which is not typical for asps) replaces each other, guarding the masonry. At this time, both cobras are extremely angry and dangerous.

Before the birth of the babies, the female crawls out of the nest so as not to devour them after a forced 100-day hunger strike. After hatching, the young "graze" near the nest for about a day, eating the remains of egg yolks. Young snakes are poisonous just like their parents, but this does not save them from predator attacks. Out of 25 newborns, 1-2 cobras survive to adulthood.

Cobra bite, how poison works

Against the background of the poison of relatives from the genus Naja, the poison of the king cobra looks less toxic, but more dangerous due to its dosage (up to 7 ml). This is enough to send an elephant to the next world, and the death of a person occurs in a quarter of an hour. The neurotoxic effect of the poison manifests itself through severe pain, a sharp drop in vision and paralysis.. Then come cardiovascular failure, coma and death.

This is interesting! Oddly enough, but in India, where about 50 thousand inhabitants of the country die from the bites of poisonous snakes every year, the fewest Indians die from the attacks of the king cobra.

According to statistics, only 10% of hannah bites become fatal for humans, which is explained by two features of her behavior.

Firstly, it is a very patient snake, ready to let the oncoming one pass it without damage to health. You just need to get up / sit down to be in the line of her eyes, do not move sharply and breathe calmly, without looking away. In most cases, the cobra escapes, not seeing a threat in the traveler.

Secondly, the king cobra is able to regulate the flow of poison during an attack: it closes the ducts of the poisonous glands, reducing special muscles. The amount of toxin released depends on the size of the victim and often exceeds the lethal dose.

This is interesting! While scaring a person, the reptile does not strengthen the bite with poisonous injection. Biologists believe that the snake saves poison for hunting, not wanting to waste it.

Herpetologists consider this snake extremely interesting and extraordinary, but advise beginners to think a hundred times before starting it at home. The main difficulty lies in accustoming the king cobra to a new food: you will not feed it with snakes, pythons and monitor lizards.

A more budget option (rats) is fraught with some difficulties:

• with prolonged feeding by rats, fatty degeneration of the liver is possible;
• rats as food, according to some experts, negatively affect the reproductive functions of the snake.

This is interesting! Transferring cobra to rats takes a very long time and can be done in two ways. At the first, the reptile is fed with snakes sewn with rat pups, gradually reducing the proportion of snake meat. The second method involves washing the rat carcass from the smell and rubbing it with a piece of snake. Mice are excluded as food.

Adult snakes need a terrarium with a length of at least 1.2 m. If the cobra is large - up to 3 meters (for newborns, containers 30-40 cm long are enough). For the terrarium you need to prepare:

• driftwood / branches (especially for young snakes);
• a large drinking bowl (cobras drink a lot);
• substrate to the bottom (sphagnum, coconut or newspapers).

Maintain the temperature in the terrarium within + 22 + 27 degrees. Remember that king cobras are very fond of moisture: air humidity should not fall below 60-70%. It is especially important to monitor these indicators at the time of molting of the reptile.

And remember to be extremely careful when handling the king cobra: wear gloves and keep it at a safe distance.

Cobra is one of the most poisonous snakes in the world, its distinguishing feature is the presence of a hood on its head, which the reptile inflates, signaling its readiness to pounce on its victim or enemy.

For a person, without the provision of timely medical care, it inevitably leads to death.

This type of poisonous snake does not live in countries with a cool climate. Cobras inhabit mainly the tropics.

Each type of cobra has its own differences in appearance and behavior, and people who go on vacation to the habitats of these poisonous reptiles need to learn all the information about snakes in advance so that when they meet with them, they know exactly how they attack and what to be afraid of.

Types of cobras and their differences are presented in the table:

A cobra, although a dangerous snake, will never attack a person for no reason.

In most cases, the person himself is to blame for being the victim of a reptile attack. What is the most common snake attack?

A person imprudently steps on a snake, or climbs towards it, poking with a stick. It is not uncommon for people to go on an overnight picnic with a tent, do not close the doors tightly, and the snake can crawl into bags, backpacks, and when a person takes his things in the morning, the snake, considering this as a threat, bites.

The reptile venom contains a complex of various substances that have a toxic effect on all internal organs and life support systems of the body.

Timely diagnosis of poisoning from a cobra bite is complicated by the absence of pain in humans.

If a snake has bitten in tall grass, and the person did not notice the cobra, the poison injected by the snake contains a special toxin that has an analgesic effect, and the person does not feel the moment of the bite.

How to understand that a cobra is preparing to attack? By nature this species snakes are very calm. She will never attack first, but people, showing an unhealthy interest in beautiful snakes often provoke them.

If the snake began to inflate its hood, this means that it considers the person being pestered by it as a threat to its life, and is ready to attack. Cobras are very fast, and it is quite problematic to have time to hide from them.

Symptomatic picture

The clinical picture of local action is poorly expressed, or absent altogether. There is no swelling or redness at the site of the bite; in some cases, peeling of the skin at the site of the bite is possible. For the most part, poison intoxication affects the central nervous system. Signs of intoxication are as follows:

• sudden overexcitation;
• immediately after temporary excitement - apathy and drowsiness, lethargy;
• breathing difficulties;
• dyspnea;
• nausea;
• gagging;
• bouts of dizziness;
• fainting states;
• decreased visual acuity;
• convulsions of the upper and lower extremities;
• throat paralysis;
• numbness of the lips;
• difficulty swallowing;
• violation of speech function;
• swelling on the eyelids;
• increased salivation;
• profuse sweating;
• urinary incontinence;
• fecal incontinence;
• a rapid decrease in blood pressure;
• violation of the heart rhythm.

Paralysis is the main symptom of cobra poisoning.

Paralysis of the body begins gradually, first it paralyzes the upper and lower limbs, then the organs become paralyzed respiratory system. If you do not immediately provide first aid and take the person to the hospital, death occurs in a few hours.

The only method of treating a cobra bite is the introduction of a special serum into the body of the affected person.

Naturally, being in nature, no one can take antidotes with them. To save a person's life, it is necessary to deliver him to a medical facility as soon as possible, providing first aid. It is on how correctly others will act that the further forecast depends. The algorithm of actions in case a cobra attacked is as follows:

1. Position the patient in a supine position with the head lower than the body.
2. Carefully review all the clothes that the person was wearing during the cobra attack, often most of the poison remains on the sleeve or leg, it must be removed.
3. Wash the wound with excess water.
4. Preferably, within the first 5 minutes after applying the bite, the poison from the wound should be drawn out with a syringe, an enema (rubber pear). It is recommended to suck out poison by mouth only if there are no wounds, ulcers, bites on the mucous membrane in the oral cavity, and there are no dental diseases. The person who will suck the poison with his mouth should periodically spit, after completing the procedure, thoroughly rinse the oral cavity with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
5. After removing the poison, the wound is washed with soapy water.
6. The bite site is covered with a clean cloth bandage or a piece of bandage, the bandage should not press.
7. To reduce the rate of spread of poison throughout the body through the circulatory system, it is necessary to pull the tourniquet above the bite site, but you can keep the tourniquet for no more than half an hour.
8. It will slow down the rate of absorption and the application of a cold object to the wound (ice, a piece of cloth that must be constantly moistened in cold water).
9. The injured limb must be statically fixed. To do this, use a splint as in a fracture (in the absence of a special medical splint, a piece of stick or board can play its role).
10. The injured person is provided with plenty of plain water to drink. You can drink tea, coffee, mineral water.
11. Give the victim a diuretic to drink, or a large number of coffee.
12. If there are antihistamines in the first aid kit medicines, you need to drink a few tablets, they will slow down the development of the symptomatic picture a little.

Strictly prohibited when bitten by a cobra

Doctors pay attention to several rules that must be followed in order to prevent complications.

• cauterize the bite site;
• use folk, absolutely useless, and sometimes extremely dangerous methods - applying plantain, earth, ash to the wound;
• inject any drugs intramuscularly;
• cut the wound
• bleed from the bite site;
• drinking alcohol.

A special antidote serum will be administered to the patient in the hospital. Further treatment is symptomatic. After the signs of poisoning are stopped, the injured person is waiting rehabilitation period during which therapy is carried out to normalize the functioning of the central nervous system and internal organs that suffered during intoxication.

The patient is prescribed bed rest, a therapeutic diet, the first days of the victim are left in the hospital, under the constant supervision of doctors.

How to protect yourself - preventive measures

In the CIS countries, cobras do not live. Going on a trip to exotic countries, one should know preventive measures, which will help protect yourself from the attack of a poisonous reptile:

1. Do not try to get close to the cobra, if you meet a snake on the way, you need to get around it as far as possible. Touching the snake with your hands or a stick is strictly prohibited.
2. In places where they live dangerous reptiles it is strictly forbidden to walk barefoot. Shoes should be on high, dense soles.
3. If there is a need to pass through tall grass, in which reptiles may be, it is necessary to touch the ground in front of you with a long stick, put on high, tight boots.
4. If tourists spend the night in a tent, the entrance to it must be permanently closed. Before you take your things out of bags or backpacks, they must first be shaken out.
5. Do not stop for the night in places where there are stones (snakes often live among stones), holes of mice and other rodents, frogs, which are food for cobras.
6. It is strictly forbidden to stick your hands into cracks, hollows, under stones, snags.
7. Having stopped for a halt, you need to stomp your feet as much as possible, this creates vibrations on the ground that scare away reptiles.
8. Do not make long crossings at night when cobras and other snakes are at their peak.

A snake bite is especially dangerous for young children; in most cases it is impossible to save a child from a cobra bite. Parents need to explain why snakes are dangerous, how to behave when meeting with them.

It is important to remember that the bite of a cobra snake is fatal to humans. Even with a slight hit of poison in the wound, when a person sees that most of the poisonous substance has remained on clothing, this does not indicate that the bite will not lead to negative consequences.

In any case, it is necessary to provide first aid and immediately deliver the injured person to the hospital, every minute of delay can cost a life!

Snakes have inhabited the Earth for many millions of years. Scientists have about 3,000 snakes on the planet. Only a small part of reptiles does not have poison and does not pose a danger to human life (see). Many types of snakes are found everywhere, others live only in warm climate, and, perhaps, only in Antarctica there are no snakes. One of the most poisonous snakes are cobras, which, with the help of their poison, can kill a person and even a large animal. Why is a cobra bite so dangerous?

You can meet these majestic snakes only in warm countries with humid climate, cobras do not like the cold and do not live where snow falls. A person may encounter a snake while traveling through warm countries and continents. Often such a meeting takes place without dangerous consequences a cobra bite, since a snake never attacks a person first. The snake will hiss for quite a long time and show its danger with all appearance, but rushes at the person in last resort. Basically, the aggressiveness of cobras increases in mating season and while waiting for offspring, when the snake guards its nest with eggs laid in it.

What are the types of cobras

Cobras belong to the Aspid family. There are 16 varieties of cobras on Earth, and all of them are considered very poisonous and deadly to humans. Snakes breed more in winter, in January or February. A fertilized female necessarily builds a nest from dry foliage, where she then lays from 8 to 40 eggs. Cobras carefully guard their future offspring, very often you can see a male cobra lying on a nest. Usually, when after 80 days small kites appear from the eggs, the male drives the female away from the offspring, otherwise she can eat her babies.

Small serpents already have a poisonous substance in their teeth and can also be dangerous to humans. Only adults pose a mortal threat to human life, having met a small cobra on their way, a person can get off with only minor intoxication, provided that medical assistance is provided in time.

The most venomous of all cobra species are the following snakes:

Cobra bite symptoms

Cobra venom contains a special toxin that, when penetrated into the skin of the victim, blocks the pain syndrome, so many people do not feel the bite of a cobra at all. At the site of the snake's defeat, two small red dots can be observed. Swelling and redness skin are usually absent. The poisonous substance of the snake has neurotoxic (see) properties and causes the following symptoms from the central nervous system:

• headache;
• fainting and clouding of consciousness;
• involuntary urination;
• paralysis and paresis;
• labored breathing;
• slight excitement, followed by apathy and lethargy;
• heart failure;
• muscle cramps (see);
• lowering blood pressure.

A cobra bite can be fatal to a person if the victim is not treated in time. medical care. In a child, snake venom is almost always fatal.

Read ? How to prevent a spider attack.

Find out what the consequences for a person can be. Providing first aid for a bite.

Do you know what it is for a person? What to do if bitten by a cross spider.

First aid for a snake attack

Cobras are very calm and peaceful reptiles. In order for a cobra to bite, you need to try hard. The snake first warns its enemy about a possible attack for a long time, hissing, spreading its hood and swinging vertically in different directions. If the cobra is not left alone, it will be forced to attack its enemy. After receiving a cobra bite, the victim should take first aid measures or ask someone to provide it.

The first thing to do is to position the victim of the bite in a dark place. The head of the bitten person should be lowered slightly below the level of the body. The wound from the teeth of the snake is washed big amount cool water, if possible, use a soapy solution. In no case should you cauterize, much less incise the wound. Poison cannot be extracted in this way, only infection is possible.

If there is a special syringe or pear for sucking out the poison, then it is necessary to suck out the poisonous substance from the wound during the first 5 minutes after the cobra bite. You can try to suck out the poison with your mouth, but only if there are no wounds in your mouth and your teeth are absolutely healthy. The poison being sucked out is periodically spit out, and at the end of the procedure, the mouth must be rinsed with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

Then the victim's wound is treated with any antiseptic and a cold compress is applied. Cold contributes to the slow absorption of poison into the human body. A tourniquet or pressure bandage can be applied to the bitten area. The injured person must be soldered with a large amount of warm liquid, you can also give him an antihistamine to drink.

Important! A person bitten by a cobra must be delivered to a medical facility, where he will be injected with a special serum from the bite of these snakes.

How to prevent a cobra bite

In order not to be bitten by a snake, you need to follow simple safety rules:

• when you see a cobra, you should not touch it with your hands, and also tease the snake;
• where there is a chance of meeting a cobra, you can not walk barefoot; shoes need to choose tight and high;
• when moving through various thickets of grass, it is better to use a long stick to check the safety of the path;
• when spending the night in nature, the entrance to the tent is carefully covered, personal belongings should be shaken regularly;
• children should be explained the danger of meeting with snakes in order to protect them from a deadly bite.

Cobras are the most dangerous snakes on Earth, however, these reptiles have amazing calmness. But if the snake is angry, it will certainly attack a person. Cobra bites often end fatal for people, so it is better to avoid any encounter with a snake.

The cobra can be a powerful symbol of kundalini energy, the spiraling energy coiled up in your coccyx.

It indicates the energy of transformation.

The cobra can also symbolize anxiety and fear.

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Dream Interpretation - Kill, die

Very often in a dream you have to either kill or die, say. But, despite the external horror of what is happening, guided by our principle of inversion in the interpretation of dreams, we conclude that this dream is good!

Everything is based on the idea of ​​inversion. And the logic is simple: to kill in a dream means to radically solve some problems in real life, radically, so to speak. Interestingly, the same thing happens when you are killed: as they say, there is no person, there is no problem. To die in a dream also means to radically solve the problem, only in a different way, so to speak, to withdraw from the solution.

If you go around and wet someone all your sleep, kill, then you solve (dramatically) the problem yourself, on your own; if they kill you, then you remove yourself from the decision, but you also get rid of it, and also in a radical way!

Summarizing, we get that killing in a dream, or dying in a dream = very good dream denoting the successful solution of current problems in a radical way.

There is truth and there are exceptions: for example, you kill in a dream from time to time, this is a completely different topic, maybe related to your official activities, maybe your work in real life = solve problems, for example, if you are a policeman? Or a bandit.