Sea snakes

Sea snakes belong to a group of snakes related to Cobras. However instead of being terrestrial they prefer water. They are rather clumsy when brought ashore stressing how well adapted they are to an aquatic environment.

They cannot stay submerged for extended periods so they will often be close to the surface to breathe.

Appearance

They seldom exceed a length of 6 feet and their heads are relatively small compared to other snakes at the same size. The head of sea snakes are compressed to offer less resistance to moving in water as possible. The sea snakes can be divided into two subfamilies, the Laticaudinae and Hydrophiinae.

Members of the former group are amphibious, that is that they are also able to live on land. They are also called Sea kraits and true sea snakes respectively.

Diet

They mainly feed on fish and it seems like there's a difference in feeding habits when it come to sexes. A study showed that male sea snakes had a more varied diet than female sea snakes¹. In the study it was found while male sea snakes had an average of 16 different species in their stomachs females had only an average of 6 different species. The explanation to this is unknown.

Habitat

Sea snakes are confined to relatively temperate water like that found in the Tropical Ocean, the Indian Ocean and the western parts of the Pacific Ocean. There are however also sea snakes in the Eastern Pacific. Some species prefer to live in reefs while other prefers to live close to the shores vegetation.

Life Cycle

Hydrophiids (the true sea snakes) give birth to live young. The gestation period ranges from 4-11 months. There is no parental care at all and young snakes must take care of themselves immediately after birth. To begin with they have to swim to the surface to get some air.

Venom

The venom from a sea snake is generally more toxic to humans than venom from land snakes. Their fangs are however only 1 inch to 1½ inch long and sea snakes are less efficient at penetrating human skin than terrestrial snakes. They are however more inclined to humans if felt threatened than land snakes. It is possible to get antivenin against all sea snake bites.

Rattle snakes

Rattlesnakes belong to a genus named Crotalus a genus consisting of numerous subspecies. The name rattlesnakes of course has its origin in the rattle at the tip of their tails. The rattle is primarily used as a warning device when threatened.

Envenomations from rattlesnakes account for a significant portion of all poisonings in North America (Schaper et al., 2004)1.

Even in Europe the number of rattlesnake bites increases due to more and more people having rattlesnakes in their homes as pets (ibid).

Rattlesnake Bites

The purpose of the rattlesnake bite is to stun or to put an immediate end to its prey. If a potential prey escapes a bite a rattlesnake will hunt it down and eventually swallow it. Usually the snake is helped by its prey gradually weakening due to the toxicity of its venom.

Rattlesnakes are capable of regulating the amount of venom they inject when biting. If the rattlesnake only feels threatened it may not deliver a full dose of venom into the perceived attacker. However, a frightened or injured snake may not be able to, or in the mood to, exercise such a control. The same goes with young, inexperienced rattlesnakes.

If you are bitten by a rattlesnake you should seek medical attention immediately.

Bites on humans usually occur when the snake is provoked or disturbed. One should not underestimate the range and speed of rattlesnakes, which when coiled are much faster than most people believe. They can also strike without coiling first. If you are hiking in known rattlesnake land you should consider wearing long pants reinforced with leather. If you encounter a rattlesnake on a trail keep distance and allow the snake to escape - and keep pets away from the snake.

Rattlesnakes feed on almost any kind of small animals, from rodents to other snakes, small lizards, frogs, and birds.

Life Cycle

Rattlesnakes give live birth and the female even looks after their newborns several days (1-1½ week) after birth.

Rattlesnake Venom

Most species have hemotoxic venom, which works quickly by degenerating tissue and preventing blood from clotting. The venom in itself might not be as toxic as the venom of other snakes, but with the amount of venom the rattlesnake is capable of injecting it becomes extremely dangerous.

Loss of limbs or permanent scarring are some of the consequences of rattlesnake bites if not death. Around 0.5 percent of people receiving a bite from a rattlesnake will die, even when antivenom is applied. A normal Diamondback rattlesnake contains enough venom to cause the end of more than 50 people.

Some tropical species have neurotoxic venom. Prey or people bit by these tropical rattlesnakes will usually die from suffocation due to malfunctioning of either lungs or the circulatory system.

The rattle

The rattle of rattlesnakes is composed of modified scales from the tail. A new segment is added to the rattle every time it sheds it skins, so if the rattle couldn't break, one would be able to determine the age of the snake by looking at the numbers of segment on the rattle. A rough estimate of the age of the rattlesnake is however obtained by merely counting the segments on the rattle. The rattlesnake sheds its skin when it has grown large enough and this will also depend on prey availability, weather conditions etc. Under wet conditions the rattle won't make any noise and newborn rattlesnake can't make a noise with their rattle.

Mojave Rattlesnake

In general rattlesnakes aren't aggressive. There is one, however, the Mojave Rattlesnake that might seem a little aggressive towards humans. It is an extremely dangerous snake. It is larger than most other rattlesnakes ranging from 20 to 50 inches (0.5-1.3 m). Its coloration varies from olive green to yellow green, while its back is lined with some dark grey diamond shaped markings resembling the ones seen in the diamondback rattlesnake. The tail of the Mojave is light grey to white with very short black bands. Its preferred habitat are flat areas of the desert and land with plentiful of shrubs. The Mojave forages during the night and prefers small mammals like mice and rats.

Diamondback Rattlesnake

The Diamondback Rattlesnake is a large rattlesnake (30-84 inches) known from its diamond like gray blotches on its back and side. Its base color is a brown or gray color and its tail has alternating white and black rings. It prefers areas with rocks and shrubs. It feeds on any kind of animals, even eating animals as large as rabbits. They tend to stand their ground when provoked and are both dangerous and venomous. It gives live birth (eggs hatches inside the female body) to small diamondback rattlesnakes with a length of approximately 8-12 inches. They can be found in most western parts of the United States.

Sidewinder Rattlesnake

One of the smallest rattlesnakes ranging in size from 25 to 40 inches (0.6-1 m), it prefers to live in sandy or loamy soil and sand. It tends to hide in the shade of bushes during daytime. A dark stripe is seen from its eyes and the coloring of the body is brownish or grayish. It primarily feeds on small rodents and lizards.

Kraits

The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling features the well-known story «Rikki-Tikki-Tavi». In this book a Krait threatens a boy but is defeated by a Mongoose. The story takes place in India, where Kraits (Bungarus spp.) are common.

Kraits are called different names in different regions due to linguistic differences - some of the names are: 

Karait, Kalach, Kala gandait , Kattige haavu, Domnachiti, Shiyar Chanda, Katla paamu, Kala taro, Manyar, kanadar, Chitti , Kattu viriyan, Yennai viriyan, Yettadi viriyan, Velli Kattan, Ettadi veeran, Karawala, and Katta Kadambale.

The Krait, the common Krait Bungarus caeruleus is a relatively small (3 foot) venomous snake and one of the most venomous snakes in India. Kraits have colors that range from black to grey with white stripes that are more prominent on the lower part of the body.

Kraits can be found in a number of habitats. As their preferred food source is rodents, they tend to occupy places where rodents are found such as rat holes, old houses and semi-aquatic environments. Kraits are nocturnal creatures, therefore the risk of being bitten by a Krait is highly increased at night.

Krait bite

Krait envenomation is quite common in India, Taiwan, Vietnam, and other Asian countries. In a study by Ha (2009)1, 60 krait envenomations were studied. The results showed that the mortality rate was 7% out of all those bitten, with a mean age of the victims being 33 and 71% of the victims being males. The average duration of time that passed between the bite and the first sign of symptoms ranged from 30 minutes to 24 hours. The most common symptoms were dropping of the eyelids, and dilation of the pupils. More severe symptoms included: limb paralysis and paralysis of respiratory muscles (ibid). Of the 60 people, 52 needed mechanical ventilation for 8 days as a consequence of the Kraits venom.

King snake

Red and black is safe for Jack is the first thing that springs to mind when speaking about the kingsnake. Some king snakes (the Scarlet King Snake) looks very similar to the coral snake, although kingsnakes has their yellow band on them surrounded by black bands. The rhyme for the Coral Snake is if read touches yellow, kills a fellow. Kingsnakes are harmless and closely related to milk snakes, which are in fact king snakes.

Kingsnakes are called king snakes because of their habit of eating other snakes. The phenomenon is referred to as ophiophagy in the biological literature. King snakes are constrictors and non-venomous, and their preferred diet, besides other snakes, is rodents, frogs, birds and their offspring (also as eggs.).

Kingsnakes are curious and makes an excellent pet. They should be fed with dead rodents to avoid them being damaged by the rodents teeth.

Cottonmouth Snakes

The Cottonmouth Snake is a fairly common snake found in wetland areas such as rivers and lakes, as well as other aquatic environments It is larger than its close relative, the Copperhead Snake, and normally it reach a length of 30 to 48 inches (75-125 cm).

Another name often used instead of Cottonmouths Snake is Water Moccasin. The name cottonmouth originates from the cotton like color in the snakes mouth.

It is a common misunderstanding that the Cottonmouth Snake, with the Latin name Agkistrodon piscivorus is a particularly aggressive snake compared to other snakes. This misunderstanding was challenged in a study by Gibbons and Dorcas (1998)1.

Gibbons and Dorca demonstrated that when the Cottonmouth was threatened it would try to escape in more than 50 percent of the provoked incidences. Most of the snakes used threat displays to avoid the danger (an artificial hand) and less than one out of three snakes tried to attack the artificial hand. These data suggest that the Cottonmouth isn't as aggressive as people commonly believe they are.

The Cottonmouth snake is black, brown or olive colored with lighter bands on its side.

Diet

The cottonmouth eats a lot of different prey. The diet includes other snakes, fish, lizards, turtles, frogs, small birds and alligators and mammals. It doesn't swallow its prey until it is dead, a behavior seen when the prey is held in the snake's jaws until it finally succombs to the venom. Prey that is likely to bite back is first struck and then released to avoid eventual attacks. Howeveer, if the prey flees the cottonmouth is able to track and hunt down the escaped prey.

Cottonmouth Snake Bite

The cottonmouth produces its venom in glands close to where the jaws join. In the case of a bite the muscles around the glands squeeze venom from the glands through channels to the fangs. The venom is able to destroy blood cells and reduces the normal coagulation and clotting abilities of the blood. This results in what is called hemorrhaging in the parts of the prey's body penetrated by the poison.

Life Cycle

The eggs of a cottonmouth mature inside the females body and hatch within the parent before birth. Sometimes the egg hatch immediately after laying. The size of the Cottonmouth litter range from 6-12 living young snake and can be anywhere from 8-10 inches long (10-25 cm) and 0.75 inches (2 cm) in diameter.

Most female cottonmouth reproduces every other year. The percentage of females reproducing depends on prey availability, temperature and the size distribution of females in the given population. Small female cottonmouth snakes are less likely to give birth to new young snakes. In a Virginia survey of cottonmouth (Blem & Blem, 1995)2 it was found the winter mortality during hibernation had a huge impact on fertility rates.

Coral Snake

Coral snakes are easy to recognize with their distinctive coloration. They have alternating red, yellow and black bands starting with black - yellow - black - yellow - red - black - yellow - red.

The yellow bands are shorter than the black and red bands. However, imitation Coral Snakes exist who have alternating yellow and red bands that are not flanked by black bands, proving that they are not true North American Coral snakes.

The Coral Snakes belongs to genus with the Latin name Micrurus.

Usually they are shorter than 40 inches (1 meter) and have smaller mouths and fangs compared to e.g. the Cottonmouth or the Copperhead. This makes envenomations of humans more difficult.

Habitat

The Coral Snake occupies a variety of habitats. Usually they are found beneath debris or under flatwood in all sorts of places like very dry areas, or areas with a lot of scrub that offer protection from wet areas on the borders of swamps, etc.

Coral Snake Venom

The venom from a Coral Snake will cause weakness and paralysis in severe cases (Heard et al., 1999)1. The paralysis often happens in the respiratory system, but serious injuries from the Coral Snake haven't been reported lately. According to an article by Norris MD (2006)2, less than 1 percent of snake bites in the United States are from Coral Snakes.

Diet

The favorite prey of the coral snake is primarily other reptiles and small lizards, amphibians like frogs and small mammals. It's cannibalistic and doesn't refrain from eating other coral snakes. Young birds and insects are also a part of its daily diet.

Coral Snake Bite

To release its venom into a prey, it has to squeeze its venom containing glands by chewing on its prey. Because it is very secretive in its habit bites on humans are very seldom reported. Prey usually die from either shock or from respiratory paralysis (essentially suffocation) caused by the neurotoxic venom. The smaller you are the more likely a bite from a coral snake will make you pass away. Children tend to be attracted to the snakes bright colors - so keep an eye on those teenagers!.

Life Cycle

Coral snakes lay eggs which hatch out in the open. A female will usually lay 3 to 5 eggs in June or July. Young snakes, at the size of earthworms, hatches 2-3 months later. At the time of hatching the young coral snakes bears the same color pattern as adult snakes.

A saying to help identify the Coral Snake

There's a rhyme that can help you identifying a Coral Snake.

If red touches yellow - it kills a fellow ... or ... are no friend of mine

This means what it says, but the likelihood of actually dying from a Coral Snake bite is very small.

If red touches black, it is a friend of Jack ...

Then it's not a Coral Snake but another snake.

Copperhead Snake

In the eastern parts of the US, the Copperhead Snake is the most commonly encountered venomous snake. The snake, which by the way has the Latin name Agkistrodon contortrix, has dark colored bands of different widths across most of its body aside from the top of its tail which has a green or yellow hue.

It can reach a size of 40 inches (1.05 meter) but the normal size of the Copperhead is in the range 24 to 36 inches (61-91 cm).

A Copperhead Snake eats small rodents, cicadas, birds, lizards, other snakes, frogs and other amphibians, spiders and all sorts of insects. The snake serves an important role in the ecosystem by controlling the population density of its prey. Without the Copperhead Snake and other snakes the population size of several species would reach inexpedient levels.

Habitat

Copperheads can be found in many different types of habitats, but they do prefer to live close to water. The abundance of the Copperhead snakes in wooded areas or suburban areas is also relatively large. Copperheads have the habit of lying completely still when threatened, and so they are eradicated in large numbers on roads due to their habit of freezing when danger approaches.

This habit of freezing originates from its behavior in nature, where it is an advantage to remain motionless and wait for a threat to pass by.

Copperhead Snake Bite

Usually copperheads don't bite. However, if you grasp or get very close to one, it can and will bite you as a last line of defense. The Copperhead was responsible for approximately 37 percent of venomous snake bites in the US in 2001 (Lavonas E.J. et al., 2004)1

It is assumed that this percentage has remained constant over the years. Most bites from the Copperhead Snake are in the eastern parts of the US, so here the percentage is probably higher.

Venom

The venom from a Copperhead Snake bite is toxic, extremely painful, and requires immediate medical treatment yet is very seldom fatal. In fact, it is one of the least venomous snakes of the venomous snakes in the USA

It may however cause serious damage to your tissue and leave scars. Also there's always a risk of catching secondary infection caused by bacteria from the snake's mouth.

Therefore, there is no point in trying to handle these snakes unless you have formal training, regardless if a Copperhead Snake bites you or not. As the guy in the video says «Its not string venom but it put you to the hospital».

Behavior prior to a bite

When agitated, the snake will shake its tail to warn you. It has been noted that Copperhead snakes have a habit of lashing out after people. This initial warning will probably not inject large amounts of venom into your body if the fangs accidentally penetrate your skin. However, if the snake doesn't reach you, see it as a warning but not an attack. Don't mess with this snake - it's not aggressive but it will bite if felt threatened. Keep away from it unless you are trained in handling snakes.

Life Cycle of Copperhead Snakes
Copperheads breeds from the end of July until September, and females give birth to live, 7-9 inch long, young snakes. The young Copperhead is a bit lighter than the adult Copperhead, with a yellowish tint to the tip of their tails. Some herpetologist thinks that this is to lure lizards and frogs, but that's has never been confirmed.

Bushmaster

The Bushmaster snake can be found in the tropical forest of South and Central America - from Southern parts of Nicaragua through Brazil and Bolivia. In Brazil the bushmaster is called jararacucu. It is a venomous snake and can cause death - but in most cases victims only experiences severe pain, vomiting, nausea, chills etc.

The Bushmaster is not an aggressive snake1 but it will defend both itself and its eggs if disturbed or threatened.

Appearance

An adult Bushmaster typical reach a length of 6 feet (2 meter). Larger specimens can reach a length of 10-12 feet, but that is very uncommon. It is however the longest pit-viper.

It is a very sturdy tough snake with a broad head and thick body. Its coloration is made up of yellow, red and brown colors with a lot of irregularities and scales all over its body.

Diet and Life Cycle

The bushmaster snake is perhaps most efficient as a nocturnal predator. It feeds on variety of other animals such as rodents, frogs, insects and birds.

It lays egg and takes it's stand against intruders seeking to harm her eggs. Newly hatched snakes are approximately 8 inches long

Black mamba

Black Mamba Snake

The Black Mamba Snake (Latin name Dendroaspis polylepis) is the largest and most deadly snake in Africa. There are a lot of myth about this snake and most if not all of them are not true. It is however clear that the black mamba is a very agile snake and the fastest snake in the world in terms of moving speed.

The Black Mamba snake is not black in contrast to common beliefs. The "black" comes from the fact that the inside of the snake's mouth is black, while the body is actually a light grey. Adult snakes reaches a length of approx. 7 to 13 feet. This snake moves very quickly and it has become a common belief that the snake will occasionally hunt people throughout the woods. This is not the case.

Habitat

The Black Mamba is found throughout South Africa. While it lives in many habitats, the Black Mambas have a habit of returning to a particular place to seek shelter.

Venom and bites

It will defend itself and bite if necessary. If the bite is not a dry bite and venom is injected the victim will die without treatment. The venom acts by paralyzing the nervous system. The venom eventually causes the envenomated prey to die from suffocation so it can be swallowed without offering resistance.

Diet

It is a diurnal predator and hunts both on ground and in trees. It eats all sorts of animals from rats to insects and everything in between.

Life Cycle

The females lay from 10-25 eggs that hatches late in the summer. There's no kind of parental care and the hatchlings are ready to catch and hunt prey right after they hatched.

Russell's Viper

Indian Russell's Viper is known by a number of other names, like Daboia, Tic Polonga, etc. A highly poisonous snake of the Viperidae family, it is scientifically known as Vipera russelli. Russell's viper is responsible for most of the snakebite deaths within its habitat. It is light brown in color and is covered with three rows of dark brown or black splotches, bordered with white or yellow.

Physical Characteristics
Russell's Viper grows to a length of 1 to 1.5 m. Its head is long and triangular, with large, prominent nostrils on each side of the snout. The fangs of the snake are large, while its tail is quite small. The length of the snout-vent is 1025 to 1080 mm, while that of the tail is 212 to 225 mm. The color of the Russells Viper of India may be dark brown, brownish-yellow or brownish-gray, with black or brown oval spots edged with black/white. The young vipers are clear orange to brownish-orange in color. There are rows of oval spots along both the sides of the body and the tail is striped.
The belly of Russels Viper is pinkish-brown or whitish in color with black spots, which start becoming darker towards the tail. The top portion of the head has three separate semi triangular spots, which form a triangle with the vertex between the eyes. There is also a dark band running diagonally from the eye to the corner of the mouth. The dorsum is light yellowish brown to sandy brown in color and has chestnut blotches. At the base of the head is a pair of dark spots and the snout is adorned with a light V-shaped canthal mark.

Characteristics
Russell's Viper is responsible for the more deaths due to snakebite than any other venomous snake. It is highly irritable and when threatened, coils tightly, hisses, and strikes with a lightning speed. Its hemotoxic venom is a very potent coagulant, which damages tissue as well as blood cells.

Natural Habitat 
The habitat of the Russels Viper stretches from Indian farmlands to dense rain forests. It is usually found near human settlements.

Geographical Range
Russells Viper can be found in India, Sri Lanka, China, Taiwan, Borneo, Malaysian Peninsula, Java and Sumatra.

Facts about Indian Russell's Viper

Local Name :	Koriwala
Scientific Name :	Vipera russelli
Family :	Viperidae
Genus :	Daboia
Length :	1 m to 1.5 m
Length of the Snout-vent :	1025 mm to 1080 mm
Tail Length :	212 mm to 225 mm

Python

Python snake, also known as Ajgar, is one of the most massively built snakes of the Indian subcontinent. It belongs to the Boidae Family and is dependent on water to quite an extent. One of the unique features of the Rock pythons of India is that they can raise their body temperature above the ambient level, through muscular contractions.

Physical Traits
Python snake grows to an average length of somewhere around 4 m, with the longest python measuring 5.85 m. Its weight varies from 70 to 129 pounds. The entire body is covered with scales, which are usually smooth and glossy. The head is flat, with small eyes and large nostrils. On either side of the anal vent are vestigial or rudimentary limbs, known as spurs. An adult python is white or yellow in color, depending upon its habitat. The pythons of the hill forests of Western Ghats and Assam are darker in color, while those of the Deccan Plateau and East Coast are lighter. Sensory pits on the rostral (snout shield) and first two labials distinguish a Rock python from other types of snakes.

BehaviorRock python of India is a lethargic creature, moving only while hunting a prey or when threatened. It shows great swimming ability and is quite at ease in water.

Diet
The diet of Pythons consists of mammals, birds and reptiles. After eating a huge meal, they may go without food for many days. There is also an incidence of an Indian python not eating for 2 years at a stretch.

Natural Habitat 
Python snakes can be found in dense as well as open Indian forests, mostly estuarine mangrove forest, arid scrub jungle and rain forest. They may live in abandoned mammal burrows, hollow trees, dense water reeds and mangrove thickets. However, pythons prefer to live near a permanent source of water, like rivers and lakes.

Status and Threats
Rock python of India is an endangered species, now partly protected by the Tamil Nadu Government. The reason for this is that it is killed for its fine skin, meat and even for medicinal purposes.

Facts about Indian Python

Kingdom :	Animalia
Scientific Name :	Python molurus molurus
Class :	Reptilia
Order :	Squamata
Suborder :	Serpentes
Family :	Boidae
Genus :	Python
Species :	Python molurus
Subspecies :	P.M. molurus
Length :	Around 4 m
Weight :	70 pounds to 129 pounds

King Cobra

Indian King cobra snake belongs to the Ophiophagus Genus and is scientifically known as Ophiophagus Hannah. It is believed to be the largest poisonous terrestrial snake, measuring upto 5.7 m in length. However, the weight of a King cobra rarely exceeds 44 lb (20 kg). The venom of a king cobra is capable of killing a human being, with the mortality rate being as high as 75%. Even though the name suggest otherwise, King cobra is not of the same Genus as the other cobras.

Behavior
The king cobra of India is a shy and lonesome creature, which prefers to lead an isolated life. It tries to avoid contact with humans as far as possible.

Natural Habitat
King Cobra prefers Indian habitats that are strewn with lakes and streams.

Geographical DistributionKing Cobra inhabits India, southern China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines and the dense highland forests of southeastern Asia.

Status
King Cobra snake is still not listed as an endangered species by the IUCN.

Diet
King Cobra of India survives on a diet consisting mainly of other snakes, which are mostly non-poisonous. It may also eat small vertebrates, such as lizards.

Facts about Indian King Cobra

Kingdom :	Animalia
Scientific Name :	Ophiophagus Hannah
Class :	Reptilia
Order :	Squamata
Suborder :	Serpentes
Family :	Elapidae
Genus :	Ophiophagus
Species :	O. hannah
Average Length :	5.7 m
Average Weight :	44 lb (20 kg)

Cobra

Cobra, scientifically known as Naja naja, is one of the poisonous snake species native to the Indian subcontinent. It grows to an average height of 1 m and has two circular ocelli patterns on the rear of its hood. These patterns seem to be connected by a curved line, giving the look of spectacles. This is why the snake is also known as the Spectacled Cobra of India. A newborn cobra measures between 20 to 30 cm, but has fully functional venom glands.

Mating Behavior
Cobra snake lays its eggs during the period of April to July. The eggs, numbering between 12 and 30 eggs, are laid underground. The incubation period lasts for 48 to 69 days.

Diet
Spectacled Cobra of India survives on a diet consisting mainly of rodents.

Natural Habitat
Cobra is usually found inhabiting open forests and farmlands of India. However, one may also see them in Indian cities, living in the sewers and underground drains.

Relation with Indian Mythology
Cobra snake is widely associated with Indian Hindu mythology. Lord Shiva is often portrayed with a protective cobra coiled around his neck. Lord Vishnu is usually represented as resting on the coiled body of Sheshnag, a snake deity with a number of cobra heads.

Facts about Indian Cobra

Kingdom :	Animalia
Scientific Name :	Naja naja
Class :	Reptilia
Order :	Squamata
Suborder :	Serpentes
Family :	Elapidae
Genus :	Naja
Species :	N. naja

Diet and Nutrition

The preferred diet of the Cobra consists of a mixture of rodents and birds, yet they also eat other snakes. Some particular species, such as the King Cobra, are said to have a preference for other snakes. They kill their prey by injecting their neurotoxic poison into the prey through their fangs. The neurotoxin of a cobrasnake destroys the communication between nerve cells. When this communication is destroyed the victim's muscles cannot be used in any kind of defense.

Bite from a Cobra Snake

Not all cobra bites are venomous; some bites are so called dry bites which may cause serious infections due to bacteria from the cobras mouth. It is estimated that approximately 75 % of people receiving a bite from a cobrasnake will eventually die from the medical complications arising from the bite. A real (not dry) bite from a cobra snake will in the most severe cases cause death within 10 minutes.

Since its neurotoxic venom acts by inhibiting the transfer of transmitter substances across the synaptic cleft, mechanical ventilation of a victim may be a way of increasing the victim's chance of survival. If antivenin is necessary, it is of the upmost importance that the species of snake that caused the bite is correctly identified because the patient must be administered the correct antivenin and monitored properly (Britt & Burkhart 1997)2.

Habitat

Most Cobra snakes are found in desert regions of Africa and Asia.

Life Cycle

Some, but not all cobras, build small nests where the females lay their eggs. The number of laid eggs varies from season to season as well as other natural factors, such as the weather and the amount of available food. Approximately 9 weeks after mating, an average of 20 to 40 eggs are laid. New cobras emerge after two too two and a half months. The mother leaves the eggs, by instinct, just before they hatch. This is a smart trick from Mother Nature because else she will eat the eggs in most cases, even though it sounds like an illogical behavior. The baby cobra snakes are venomous right from the start and their lengths vary depending on the species.

King Cobra

The king cobra has a special preference for other snakes but it will also feed on small lizards and even mammals. It is found in Asia where it prefers to live in tropical forests and grassland. It is 10-12 feet long and will attack if provoked even though it is considered shy.

The king cobra snake can be found in India, southern parts of China, in the Philippines and in Malaysia. The snake occupies a wide range of habitats but prefers areas with access to water. It is, by the way, an excellent swimmer.

Spitting Cobra

Several species of the cobra snakes can spit. Spitting is used as a defence against predators. Generally a human can't die from cobra snake saliva only. The venom in the snake's saliva can however cause permanent blindness and give scars if untreated.