The Latin name of the king cobra - Ophiophagus hannah - is translated as "eating snakes", but it does not apply to true cobras - representatives of the Naja genus, 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. A distinctive feature of the king cobra is a narrow hood at 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 poison or very little of it to lead to lethal outcome. 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 developed immunity to their poison, so during the “fights” for the female in mating season none of the gentlemen die 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 there is a short acquaintance, during which the male is convinced that the female is not dangerous for him, and the final stage begins. mating games- mating.

The king cobra is one of the few snakes that builds a nest for their eggs. It represents big pile 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 all day long and is ready to rush 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 without 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, only 2-4 out of 20-40 kites reach adulthood.

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.

live king cobras about 30 years and throughout this period are constantly growing.

Spectacle snake ( spectacled cobra) is one of the most poisonous 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 poison is fatal to animals and harmful to the human nervous system - 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

Its 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 for the 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.


In the modern world, these snakes 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.

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. Indian cobra 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 she eats exclusively 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-sized 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.

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.

The length of the cobra is from 1.5 to 2 meters. The reptile lives in Central Asia.In India, the spectacled snake is an object of reverent reverence and even almost superstitious fear..Snake got its name from the two spots that are visible on its swollen hood.

Other names

Naja naja - lat. the name of a species of Indian cobra.
Cobra - General English, French, Italian, Spanish. name of the genus cobra
Spectacle snake.

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia (animals)
Type: Chordata
Class: Reptilia (reptiles)
Order: Squamata (scaly)
Suborder: Serpentes (snakes)
Family: Elipidae (asps)
Genus: Naja (real cobras)
Species: Naja naja (Indian cobra or spectacled snake)
Subspecies: monocle cobra (Naja naja kaouthia), Central Asian cobra (Naja naja oxiana), Indian spitting cobra (Naja naja sputatrix), blind cobra (Naja naja coeca), Taiwanese cobra (Naja naja atra) and others, about 10 subspecies are known in total .

habitation

Most often, the Indian cobra is found in South Asia and on the African mainland. Central Asia, in the east of Iran, in Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and on the island of Sri Lanka. Also, the habitat of this snake extends throughout South-East Asia, reaching South China and the island of Taiwan and covering all the Sunda and Philippine Islands. The latitudes of our country are characterized by a subspecies of the Central Asian cobra, which inhabits the territories of southern Turkmenistan, southern Uzbekistan and southwestern Tajikistan. The Central Asian subspecies of the Indian cobra prefers to live in the foothills, not rising high, but living on hills with sparse grassy vegetation and many holes and stone blockages where you can hide. In Central Asia, the Indian cobra chooses places near water or mountain gorges. And she also willingly settles near human habitation, for example, in the ruins of old houses, in cemeteries and even in populated villages. However, it can be found with the same success in the arid territories of the Asian deserts far from water bodies. Actually, the Indian cobra, that is, its nominal subspecies that lives in India, Ceylon and Pakistan, chooses a variety of places to live - the ruins of buildings, tree roots, termite mounds and ravines. She is also not afraid of the closeness of a person. The Indian cobra can settle both in the city and on personal plot, and in the rice field, and in the mountains up to 2700 meters above sea level. The spitting Indian cobra is a resident of Southeast Asia, the Lesser Sunda and Philippine Islands, in particular, the islands of Java and Celebes. Other subspecies that can "shoot" poison are found in the Malay Islands.

Description

The Indian cobra owes many legends and stories, including its amazing appearance. She is very colorful. The predominant color is bright yellow with a bluish tint, noticeable when sunlight. In different subspecies of the snake, the body color can vary from yellow-gray to brown, and completely black snakes come across. The ventral part of the body is noticeably lighter - yellow-brown or gray shade. In young Indian cobras, horizontal wide dark stripes are visible on the skin. As the snake matures, they disappear. The body length of the Indian cobra is one and a half - two meters. Its rounded and slightly flattened head is integral with the body. The eyes of the Indian cobra are medium-sized, with a round pupil. Large skin shields are located on the head, and the body is long and thinning towards the tail, completely covered with smooth, gleaming scales.
The Indian cobra earned the nickname of the spectacle snake due to the light pattern on the back of the neck, reminiscent of antique glasses. When the snake is frightened or defensive, it raises the front of the torso to a vertical position, and the head of the cobra balances against the enemy. The hood appears due to 8 pairs of front ribs, which at this moment are parted to the sides. The hooded part of the body immediately noticeably expands and flattens, and the glasses clearly show through on the skin. As already mentioned, in the subspecies of the monocle cobra, the spectacle pattern consists of one ring, while in the Central Asian subspecies it is completely absent.
For all its seeming grace, the Indian cobra is quite clumsy and clumsy. However, it swims, dives and moves along tree branches very well. A pair of the famous poisonous fangs of the Indian cobra is located on the upper jaw, followed by an empty gap, and then a few (1-3) small teeth. However, this snake, unlike its other relatives, does not bite often. She prefers to scare off the enemy with a loud hiss and impressive appearance, without waiting for him to approach or touch her. But even with direct contact with the enemy, the Indian cobra is able to first inflict a fake bite by hitting the enemy with its head. The thing is that the teeth of this snake are shorter than, say, those of vipers, so for a full-fledged bite, it has to firmly cling to the victim with its teeth and squeeze them several times in order to accurately bite through and inject poison. And the teeth of the Indian cobra are easy enough to break, but new ones quickly grow in their place. In fact, it is quite difficult to turn under the bite of this snake in nature, only if you specifically run into it. In reality, Indian cobras rarely attack humans.
Of particular interest to scientists is such a subspecies of the Indian cobra as spitting. This snake really original way attack. It is able to spray poison towards the enemy at a distance of up to 2 meters. This feature works due to the special structure of the poisonous fangs, the poison channel in which is not directed downwards, like in other members of the aspid family, but forward - perpendicular to the front side of the fang. A sharp contraction of the muscles helps the spitting cobra shoot venom through these holes. The spitting Indian cobra is highly accurate. She directs a stream of poison into the eyes of the enemy, but more often uses this skill against large opponents. Such a "shot" can lead to complete blindness if the eyes are not rinsed in time.

Nutrition

Various subspecies of cobras hunt in different time days: some in the evening and late at night, others - on spring days during the period of greatest activity. In especially hot summer days the Indian cobra goes out for prey in the early morning, when the sun has not yet begun to burn. Its main food is amphibians (toads and frogs), small lizards and other reptiles, as well as rodents - mice and rats. If, in search of food, a snake finds a bird's nest, then it will certainly be ruined. And it is no coincidence that the Indian cobra settles next to people. So she provides herself with a plentiful diet, thanks to the rodents living next to a person, as well as the eggs of poultry. The Indian cobra is quite capable of plundering a chicken coop. In the water, she hunts fish. But she can do without water for a long time, for several weeks and even months, although if there is a reservoir nearby, he drinks a lot and willingly.

reproduction

The nominal subspecies of the Indian cobra is characterized by better fertility than the Central Asian. There is affection between individuals of different sexes, the female and male stay together not only during the mating season, but also after fertilization, until the birth of the young. The mating season for Indian cobras begins in winter, and they make clutches in late spring and protect it with joint efforts. But more often, of course, the female guards her offspring. True, unlike royal cobras, Indian cobras do not incubate eggs, warming them with their warmth. However, the spectacled snake also carefully prepares for the birth of offspring, choosing a suitable warm place for the nest, and then protecting it with all the courage that it is capable of. It is better not to disturb the Indian cobra guarding eggs, during this period it is especially dangerous. In one clutch of the Indian cobra, there are about 10-20 eggs, but it happened to find larger clutches - up to 45 eggs in the nest. After 2, 5 - 3 months, small snakes appear from the eggs, which are already poisonous, ready for defense and able to inflate their hood. In captivity, it is quite difficult to achieve the reproduction of the Indian cobra, not all zoos can boast of this, not to mention the private owners of terrariums.

The Indian cobra is so dangerous that it is unlikely to be found in private collections of terrariumists. Scientists prefer to observe this snake on the territory nature reserves and rarely in zoos. But if we talk about the arrangement of the terrarium, then for an Indian cobra one and a half meters in size, it should be at least 100x80x60 cm. crucial point- maintaining the desired temperature. This can be provided by heated floors. And of course, the Indian cobra, even in a limited space, needs shelter, for example, some plants, under the roots of which you can climb, or specially adapted boxes. Small rodents can be used as live food for the Indian cobra, as well as fish, pieces of meat and other sources of animal protein. And yet, once again, keeping poisonous snakes in captivity is very dangerous.

Additionally

In India, cobras are treated not only with fear, but with real reverence and reverence. Hindus bow before her as before a deity and, having found an Indian cobra in their house, in every possible way coax and even feed her. It is not surprising that with such an attitude, charlatanism associated with the performances of snake charmers is widespread in India. These people train the Indian cobra, accustoming it to certain movements and sounds, and over time the snake begins to demonstrate a semblance of dance to the music. It is said that unscrupulous charmers simply break out the poisonous teeth of the snake. However, researchers have determined that most of these trainers still know how to handle poisonous Indian cobras without resorting to any violence.