Does the spectacled cobra have echolocation? Spectacle snake (Indian cobra). The appearance of a spectacled cobra

Indian cobra, or spectacled snake (lat. Naja naja) is one of the most beautiful and poisonous representatives of the Aspidae family (Elapidae). It owes its name to the Portuguese navigators, who called it "cobra di capello" (reptile with a cape).

Characteristic appearance according to ancient legend was bestowed upon her by the Buddha himself. Once he was too tired from a long journey, so he lay down on the ground and fell asleep.

A cobra crawled past and saw a traveler sleeping in the sun. She spread her hood over him, protecting the tired saint from the scorching sun and guarding his sleep. The awakened Buddha was very pleased with such a virtuous deed and, as a token of gratitude, blessed the good creature by laying two fingers on it. Since then, his descendants wear glasses on the back of their heads and enjoy well-deserved respect among the local population.

Spreading

The species is distributed throughout India except for the state of Assam and partly Kashmir, as well as in South China, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and the islands of the Philippines and the Malay Archipelago.

spectacled snake adapted to live in various conditions, but prefers to settle in open peasant fields. It is not afraid of people and often crawls into their dwellings, parks and even crowded bazaars. She really needs warmth, so she is found only where all year round it's a hot summer. It leads a terrestrial lifestyle, but if necessary, swims and climbs trees very well.

Behavior

The Indian cobra goes hunting with the advent of twilight and hunts all night until the morning. It feeds on frogs, toads, small birds and mammals. In cities and villages, it purposefully hunts rats. For this, urban and rural residents living in terrible unsanitary conditions are very grateful to her.

Reptiles will not miss the opportunity to eat bird eggs, they have a positive attitude towards cannibalism, therefore they try to stay away from their relatives, observing proud loneliness.

When meeting a potential hunting trophy the hunter raises the front third of the body, evaluates the distance, and after a lightning attack makes deadly bite. Clinging to the prey, she strongly compresses her jaw and injects poison. When the prey dies, the predator swallows it whole.

The upper jaw is armed with paired poisonous fangs about 7 cm long. Strong gastric juice allows you to almost completely digest any food.

By itself, the Indian cobra is not aggressive. Attacks only for the purpose of self-defense, pre-inflating the hood and offering its appearance to disperse peacefully. At the same time, she raises her head high and hisses loudly. If it swells flat on the ground, it means that it is very frightened and is preparing to flee. The hood consists of 8 pairs of front cervical ribs spread apart, which in a calm state are laid along the spine.

reproduction

During the rainy season from January to April, mating season. Reptiles form monogamous families and for two months vigilantly guard the masonry until the offspring appears. As a nest, rat holes or tree hollows are used. The female lays 10 to 30 eggs and most time lies on them, curled up in rings and covering with his body. Incubation lasts 50-60 days.

The process of hatching from eggs takes 5-6 hours. Small snakes 25-30 cm long are poisonous from the moment of their birth and after a couple of days they begin to hunt on their own. They grow very fast. The first molt takes place on the 3rd, the second on the 7th, the third on the 21st, the fourth on the 30th day. After that, growth slows down, and the intervals between them increase. Sexual maturity occurs at about three years of age.

Relationship with people

The spectacled snake is completely deaf. She does not move to the beat of the melody played on the flute, but by repeating other people's movements and preparing for an attack. Spellcasters, knowing her habits perfectly, accurately choose a safe distance, preventing a possible attack.

Among Buddhists and Hindus, she is revered as a sacred animal and one of the incarnations of the god Vishnu. From ancient times, the ritual of a deadly dance has been preserved in India. Specially trained priestess-dancers perform complex choreographic compositions in front of furious reptiles, and at the end suddenly bend down and kiss them on the head, instantly jumping back.

An incredible trick at first glance is possible due to the fact that the reaction of trained dancers is 5 times faster than the reaction of a snake.

Extravagant girls who study oriental dances from videos are not recommended to acquire exotic asps and try to do something similar at home, preparing for a talent show.

Poison-swollen lips will likely have to be surgically removed. In addition, it contains substances that damage nervous system. Symptoms of poisoning appear in the period from 15 minutes to two hours, and death can occur within an hour.

One bite contains 200 ml of poison, and a portion of 20 ml is fatal to humans. The symptoms are very wide. The victim loses the coherence of speech, it is difficult for him to swallow and breathe. Tissue necrosis forms at the site of the bite. Every year in Indochina, several hundred people die, bitten by a spectacled snake.

In many regions of India, the Nag Panchami festival is celebrated annually, at which numerous exorcists and fakirs perform. Previously organized fights between snakes and mongooses (usually ending in the death of reptiles) are banned in modern India, but continue to be held illegally. I Indian cobra used in medicinal purposes primarily for lowering blood pressure.

Description

The length of adults is 1.4-1.5 m, males can reach 2.25 m. The color is very variable, it can be from yellowish-gray to brown and black. The belly and throat are yellowish white. Eyes with round pupils are protected by fused transparent eyelids. The body is covered with smooth scales. The ventral side is protected by wide shields laid in one row.

Life span in wild nature about 25 years old.

Indian cobra(from the Latin Naja naja) is a poisonous scaly snake from the asp family, a kind of real cobra. This snake has a body, narrowing towards the tail, 1.5-2 meters long, covered with scales.

Like all other types of cobras, the Indian cobra has a hood that opens when this asp is excited. The hood is a kind of extension of the torso, which occurs due to the expanding ribs under the influence of special muscles.

The color palette of the cobra's body is quite variegated, but the main ones are shades of yellow, brown-gray, often sandy colors. Closer to the head there is a clearly defined pattern, resembling pince-nez or glasses along the contour, it is because of it that they call Indian cobra spectacled.

Scientists divide the Indian cobra into several main subspecies:

• blind cobra (from Latin Naja naja coeca);
• monocle cobra (from Latin Naja naja kaouthia);
• spitting Indian cobra(from Latin Naja naja sputatrix);
• Taiwanese cobra (from Latin Naja naja atra);
• Central Asian cobra (from Latin Naja naja oxiana).

In addition to the above, there are several other very few subspecies. Often attributed to the species of the Indian spectacled cobra and Indian king cobra, but this is a slightly different kind that has big sizes and some other differences, although very similar in appearance.

Pictured is an Indian spitting cobra

The Indian cobra, depending on the subspecies, lives in Africa, almost throughout Asia and, of course, on the Indian continent. In the territory former USSR these cobras are common in the vast modern countries: Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan - a subspecies of the Central Asian cobra lives here.

Chooses to live in different areas from the jungle to the mountain ranges. On rocky terrain, it lives in crevices and various burrows. In China, they often settle in rice fields.

The nature and lifestyle of the Indian cobra

This type of poisonous snake is not at all afraid of a person and can often settle near his dwelling or in fields cultivated for harvest. Often Indian cobra nayu found in abandoned, dilapidated buildings.

This type of cobra just never attacks people if it does not see danger and aggression from them, it bites, injecting poison, only defending itself, and then, most often, it is not the cobra itself that serves as a deterrent, but its ominous hiss.

Making the first throw, it is also called deceptive, the Indian cobra does not produce venomous bite, but simply makes a headbutt, as if warning that the next throw could be fatal.

Pictured Indian cobra naya

In practice, if the snake managed to inject poison when bitten, then the bitten person has little chance of survival. One gram of Indian cobra venom can kill over a hundred medium-sized dogs.

spitting cobra, what is the name of the subspecies of the indian cobra, rarely bites at all. The method of its protection is based on special structure canals of the teeth through which the poison is sprayed.

These channels are not located at the bottom of the teeth, but in their vertical plane, and when a danger appears in the form of a predator, this snake sprays poison on it, at a distance of up to two meters, aiming at the eyes. The ingress of poison into the shell of the eye leads to a burn of the cornea and the animal loses its clarity of vision, if the poison is not quickly washed off, then further complete blindness is possible.

It should be noted that the Indian cobra's teeth are short, unlike other poisonous snakes, and rather fragile, which often leads to their chipping and breaking off, but instead of damaged teeth, new ones appear very quickly.

In India, there are many cobras living in terrariums with humans. People train this type of snake using the sounds of wind instruments, and with pleasure they make various performances with their participation.

There are many videos and photo of Indian cobra with a man who, playing the pipe, makes this asp rise up on his tail, opening his hood and, as it were, dancing to the sound of music.

Indians have a positive attitude towards this type of snake, considering them national treasure. This people has many beliefs and epics associated with the Indian cobra. On other continents, this asp is also quite famous.

One of the most famous stories about the Indian cobra is the tale famous writer Rudyard Kipling called Rikki-tikki-tavi. It tells about the confrontation between a fearless little and an Indian cobra.

Indian cobra food

The Indian cobra feeds, like most snakes, small mammals, mainly by rodents and birds, as well as amphibious frogs and toads. They often destroy bird nests by eating eggs and chicks. Also, other types of reptiles, including smaller poisonous snakes, go to food.

Large Indian cobra can easily swallow big rat or small. For a long time, up to two weeks, a cobra can do without water, but when it finds a source, it drinks quite a lot, storing liquid for the future.

Indian cobra, depending on the region of habitat, hunts at different times of the day and night. It can search for prey on the ground, in water bodies and even on tall vegetation. Outwardly clumsy, a snake of this kind perfectly crawls through trees and swims in the water, looking for food.

Reproduction and lifespan of the Indian cobra

Sexual maturity in Indian cobras occurs by the third year of life. The breeding season takes place in winter in January and February. After 3-3.5 months, the female snake lays eggs in the nest.

The clutch averages 10-20 eggs. This type of cobra does not incubate eggs, but after they are laid, they are constantly close to the nest, protecting their future offspring from external enemies.

After two months, the kites begin to hatch. Newborn cubs, freed from the shell, can easily move independently and quickly leave their parents.

Given that they are born immediately poisonous, these snakes do not need special care, since they themselves can protect themselves even from large animals. The life expectancy of the Indian cobra varies from 20 to 30 years, depending on its habitat and the availability of sufficient food in these places.

Indian cobra or spectacled snake

Source: http://iiru.ru

The Indian cobra, or spectacled snake, got its name for a reason. She is bright and extravagant. The main color of her jumpsuit is yellow with blue sparkles and a brown scarf (stripes) at the throat. The back of the overalls is darker - Brown, and in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe ribs it is wonderful identification mark- white application in the form of pince-nez.

Source: http://givotnie.com

Among these snakes there are also those that have one eyepiece in the application, these are called monocles.

The Indian cobra grows up to 1.5 - 2 m.

You can meet this beauty in India (hence the name), Central Asia, Southern China, on the islands of the Malay Archipelago and the Philippines. The snake does not have certain requirements for a place of residence, it feels great in the dense jungle, and in rice fields, and next to a person: in parks and personal plots.

In July, the female lays from 9 to 19 eggs, from which babies hatch in late August and early September. The Indian cobra does not incubate eggs, as it does, but after laying it is always nearby, protecting future offspring from offenders.

Spectacled snake is a predator and meat eater. She prefers to feast on rodents, amphibians and birds. But its main food is small rodents, so the Indian cobra is respected by farmers, because thanks to its efforts, there are fewer crop pests.

Source: http://cosma.livejournal.com

The poison of the Indian cobra is very toxic, one dried gram is enough to kill 140 dogs. medium size. On humans, the effects of a bite appear after 10 minutes.

Although Indian cobras love solitude, they have extraordinary artistic abilities, for which they are attracted to participate in the performances of Indian snake charmers. Interestingly, only Indian and Egyptian cobras have learned to tame. The caster plays the pipe, luring the snake out of the basket, and makes it sway to the beat of the music.

Source: http://www.animalsglobe.ru

In fact, the snake follows the movements of the musician, preparing for an attack, but it seems that she is dancing. And the caster risks his life every second of his performance. In order to stay alive, he studies the character, habits of his pet in the smallest details and details, and as soon as he sees that she is ready to attack, he immediately puts it back into the basket. Skilled spellcasters can divert the attention of the snake so much that they succeed in an incredible trick - a kiss with a snake, less skillful - remove the cobra's teeth. But the latter is rarely practiced: firstly, the audience can ask the caster to show the cobra's teeth, and if they are not found, he is cast out in disgrace. Secondly, losing teeth, the cobra loses its poison and cannot digest its prey, therefore it is doomed to a slow and starvation death. Thirdly, changing a pet every 2-3 months is troublesome and costly for a caster.

Fearless cobra tamer

Source: http://www.youtube.com/

King cobra or Hamadryad

Source: http://iiru.ru

The king cobra is the largest poisonous snake on the planet. It grows all its life and grows up to 4-5 meters.

Source: http://www.zoopicture.ru

The largest king cobra was caught in Malaysia in 1937, from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail, its length was 5.5 m. While it was transported to London Zoo, it grew a little, and its length was already 5.7 m. During the Second World War, zoo workers were forced to kill the giant so that in the event of a bombing of the zoo, the cobra could not escape and cause trouble. The average weight of an adult with an impressive size is only 5-6 kg, so the cobra does not look massive, like a python or anaconda.

At the meeting king cobras they measure their height, each tries to touch the top of the opponent, and the one who manages to do it first is the main one. The second one yields and tries to get out of the way as soon as possible.

Source: http://www.tepid.ru

The color of the cobra's jumpsuit, depending on the place of residence, varies from olive to dark brown, with white, beige or yellow rings and a yellow belly. The king cobra is called not only because of its size, but also because of the six shields on the back of the head, similar to a crown.

You can meet the King Cobra in the South and South-East Asia. The queen of snakes chooses her habitat rainforests And dense thickets shrubs. In densely populated India, forests are being actively cut down. Therefore, the snake had to adapt to new conditions and learn to live next door to humans, although people are not very happy with such a dangerous neighbor.

Source: http://www.zoopicture.ru

During the mating period, males, having collided in the same territory, arrange ritual fights and dances, while they do not bite each other (even if they did bite, nothing bad would happen, because king cobras are immune to their own poison). Naturally, the winner remains near the female. At the same time, the winner is very jealous, and if the loser managed to fertilize the female, he can kill and eat her.

The male takes care of the female for a long time, but not because he is a gallant gentleman, but in order to make sure that she accepts him and will not send him to the forefathers, if something goes wrong.

The female lays 20-40 eggs in the nest. In order not to inadvertently eat the serpents, shortly before their appearance, he crawls away to hunt in order to eat enough.

The spectacled snake (see photo below) got its name because of the pattern, which is two rings with a bow located on the back of its hood. Such an element is specific feature all cobras.

It is an area of ​​the neck that swells when exposed to certain group muscles. This happens when the cobra is aggressive or scared.

habitats

You can meet a spectacled snake in nature only in countries with warm climate. It lives throughout the entire space from India, Central Asia and South China to the Philippines and the islands of the Malay Archipelago. The favorite places of the cobra are the jungle and sometimes it creeps into city parks and home gardens.

The cobra lives in various places. She can settle under the roots of trees, in piles of brushwood, in ruins and scree. At the same time, she prefers places located near human habitation. A snake can also live high in the mountains, in areas up to two thousand seven hundred meters above sea level.

External Description

The Indian cobra, also called the spectacled snake, has a body length of one and a half to two meters. The main color of her scales is fiery yellow, giving off a bluish sheen. The slightly blunt and rounded head of the cobra passes very smoothly into the body. Small snake eyes have round pupils. There are large shields on the head.
Paired poisonous fangs of a cobra are located on its upper jaw. One or three small teeth follow at some distance from them.

The body of a spectacled cobra, covered with smooth scales, turns into a thin a long tail. The coloration of individuals of this species can vary significantly even among those representatives who live in the same area. The general background of the body are colors from grayish-yellow to brown and even black. The belly of a cobra is yellowish-brown or light gray.

The nature of the coloring of young individuals is somewhat different. On their body, transverse dark stripes. With age, they gradually turn pale, and subsequently disappear altogether.

In the coloration of the snake, the most remarkable difference is the so-called points. This light, clear pattern is especially visible in the case of the aggressiveness of the cobra.
The spectacled snake is clumsy and rather slow in its movements. However, when necessary, she swims superbly and climbs trees.

Behavior in case of danger

With any threat, the spectacled snake raises the front third of its body vertically. At the same time, she breeds eight front pairs of ribs of the cervical region to the side. In case of danger, the cobra holds its head towards the enemy in a horizontal position. The neck in such a situation expands and becomes flatter. It is then that the bright eyed pattern characteristic of this type of cobra appears. The value of "points" for the snake is very high. The fact is that in the event of a predator attack from the rear, they give the impression that the cobra's head is turned towards it. This deters the enemies of the reptile.

reproduction

Spectacled snake mates in January-February. And in May, the females lay eggs. In the clutch, as a rule, there are from ten to twenty eggs (very rarely up to forty-five). Males and females live in pairs not only during the mating period, but also until the moment when the young are born. Egg laying must be guarded by one of the parents.

Eggs develop in seventy to eighty days.

Enemies and victims

The spectacled snake has many enemies. However, the most dangerous for her is the mongoose. This small predator, which belongs to the civet family. The mongoose is capable of attacking a snake of any size. He easily jumps away, avoiding the throws of the Indian cobra, and at a convenient moment he clings to her neck with his sharp teeth. The mongoose has reduced sensitivity to cobra venom. However, he still tries to avoid her bites.
The spectacled snake is very venomous. However, it does not pose a threat to humans. The fact is that she first poisons her victim with poison, and then swallows it whole. The snake feeds on various reptiles, rats and mice. Therefore, a person is not of particular interest to her.

In the event that a formidable hiss is heard nearby, anyone can understand that a cobra is nearby. A spectacled snake warns a person of a possible attack. If the situation is left unattended, then a big disaster can happen. The cobra will begin to defend itself, which means it will bite and poison its offender. Its poison is very strong. After a bite, a person can get sick or die.

The spectacled snake is revered. There are many legends and legends about it. Cobra is used by snake charmers during their performances. She is kept in round wicker baskets. Before the performance, the lid is removed from the basket, the cobra stands in its spectacular pose. The caster plays on swinging to the beat of the music. The snake does not hear sounds. She has no external auditory organ. However, the cobra is swaying after him. From the side it seems that the reptile is dancing.

The spectacled snake, or as it is also called, the Indian cobra, comes from the family of asps, a genus of real cobras. This snake lives in the countries of Central and East Asia. She meets like in the wilds tropical jungle, so on open spaces. Very often you can encounter a spectacled cobra on the outskirts of cities and on farms. Her favorite places- the ruins of houses, wood or stone heaps, clay walls with holes.

Appearance spectacled cobra

The spectacled cobra reaches sizes from 1.5 to 1.9 m. Its coloration largely depends on the environment where the snake lives. Most often, yellow or light gray individuals are found. But sometimes, much less often, you can see a snake that has a black color. The belly of the spectacled cobra is light, almost white. The head has a rounded shape, the eyes are small, with round pupils. She has two poisonous fangs that are located in the upper jaw.
Dark spots were placed on the back of the head, which created a peculiar pattern in the form of glasses. For this, the snake got its name. This image can be seen especially clearly when the cobra senses danger. It lifts the body vertically by 1/3 part, inflates the neck like a hood, turning it into a completely flat one. That's when the "glasses" on the back of the head become well visible.

Lifespan, reproduction of the spectacled cobra

The spectacled cobra lays its eggs from mid-spring to mid-summer. At the same time, she uses places that used to be rodent burrows, hollows of birds or animals, inactive termite mounds, and even heaps of fallen leaves. One clutch of a snake consists of 10-30 eggs. The incubation period lasts two, and sometimes three months. It all depends on climatic conditions. Newborn cobras hatch at a size of 20-30 cm. From the first days they are independent and at the same time poisonous. Cubs, as well as adult snakes, can frighten passers-by with their hooded necks. The spectacled cobra lives for about 20 years. Offspring begin to give in the third year of life.

How it behaves, what the spectacled cobra eats

The venom of the spectacled cobra is quite strong. It has the ability to paralyze the muscular activity of its victim. If a snake bites a person, the effect of the poison will begin from the first hour. But at the same time, fatal cases are small (6 to 1000). The reason lies in the fact that the spectacled cobra, when attacking, releases poison quite rarely. Usually just bites at the sight of danger. This snake is a predator, it feeds on small rodents, preys on toads and frogs, and does not disdain even other snakes.

Interesting cases from life

Very often, spectacled cobra is used by magicians in their show programs. They keep it in a basket, and for the performance they open the lid and begin to play the pipe. At this time, a snake rises from the basket, sways, repeating the movements musical instrument. This creates the effect of a dance. Some believe that magicians remove fangs from cobras to protect themselves, but this is not true. Even if you pull them out, new ones will soon appear in the same place. And if the public finds out about this action, everyone will make fun of the magician and drive him away.