Cobras

by Colin Jones

The King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) is also remarkable in this large family of snakes (elapidae) bexause it feeds almost entirely on other snakes although it will eat mice and small birds too.

The King Cobra is also unique because of its size - it can reach 5.85m (almost 20 feet) in length, which makes it the longest poisonous snake in the world. The latest discovery of a new species of cobra was made in 2003 when it was identified by London Zoo as part of an illegal shipment of exotic pets. According to DNA studies this new species of snake is similar to the Red Spitting Cobra, but different in terms of genes. It appears to have originated in an area between Sudan and Egypt, and it was given the name of the 'Nubian Spitting Cobra'.

Although they are highly dangerous when threatened, cobras will rarely attack if you keep your distance from them, although the spit can travel very accurately for two meters. Compared to the strike of  rattlesnakes, cobras are rather slow in their attack and besides that, many bites prove to be non-venomous.

Statistics of a study conducted on Malaysian cobra snake victims indicate that only 55% of the bites involved poison release and the same statistics indicate a mortality rate of only 10% for people bitten, since the poisons injected into the blood of the prey destroy the nerves (neurotoxins), which induces respiratory failure approximately half an hour after being bitten, so you have 30 minutes to seek help.

The colouration of cobras is variable from light green-grey to black, whereas juvenile cobras usually have alternate yellow and black bands. Cobras are to be found all over south-eastern Asia and northern Africa.