Cobra

Cobra, common name for members of a family of poisonous snakes, known for their intimidating looks and deadly bite. Cobras are recognized by the hoods that they spread when angry or disturbed; the hoods are created by the extension of the ribs behind the cobras’ heads. These reptiles are found throughout the Philippines, southern Asia, and Africa. They feed mainly on small vertebrates, such as frogs, and lay eggs or give birth to live young, depending on the species.

The king cobra is the world’s longest poisonous snake. It averages 3.7 m (12 ft) in length but some grow to 5.5 m (18 ft). It is a thin snake, olive or brown in colour, with bronze eyes. It is found in the Philippines, Malaysia, southern China, Myanmar (Burma), and the Malay Peninsula, and is known to prey on other snakes. There are several other species of cobra in Asia including the Indian cobra, variously known as the common, Asian, or spectacled cobra (because of the pattern resembling spectacles on its skin). It seldom reaches a length of more than 1.8 m (6 ft). The hood of the Asian cobra is, proportionately, much larger than that of the king cobra and may be yellow to brown, with a black and white spectacle pattern on top and two black and white spots on the lower surface. The snake causes many deaths each year in India, where it is regarded with religious awe and seldom killed. All Asian cobras range from the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea to China and Malaysia. Snake charmers often use the Indian species in their displays. They pretend that they are using music to charm the snake out of its basket. However, cobras have very limited hearing and cannot hear music. They would rise up and spread their hoods with or without the music because they are on their guard.

Most cobras are natives of Africa. Among them is the spitting, or black-necked cobra, found from southern Egypt to northern South Africa. This snake can spray its venom from a distance of about 2.4 m (8 ft) into the eyes of its victims, causing temporary blindness and great pain. Varieties of the spitting cobra range in colour from dull black to pink, the lighter-coloured ones marked by a black band around the neck. The ringhals, a different type of spitting cobra confined to southern Africa, is the smallest of the cobras, reaching only about 1.2 m (4 ft) in length. It is dark brown or black with ridged, or keeled, scales and light rings on the neck. The asp, or Egyptian cobra, is found along the northern coast of Africa.

The venom of cobras, called a neurotoxin, acts powerfully on the nervous system. With effective serum more widely available, however, the high death rate from cobra bites in some areas of Asia has decreased. Cobra venom has been used for many years in medical research because it has an enzyme, lecithinase, that dissolves cell walls as well as membranes surrounding viruses. See also Asp.

Scientific classification: Cobras belong to the family Elapidae. The king cobra is classified as Ophiophagus hannah, the Indian cobra as Naja naja, the spitting cobra as Naja nigricollis, the rhingals as Hemachatus hemachatus, and the Egyptian cobra as Naja haje.