5/9/2017 0 Comments What Is King Cobras DietIndian cobra - Wikipedia. Indian cobra. Scientific classification. Kingdom: Animalia. Phylum: Chordata. How cobras developed flesh-eating venom Date: March 14, 2017 Source: University of Queensland Summary: An international study has revealed how one of the world's most.
![]() The king cobra is the largest venomous snake An animal with a long, scaly body and no arms, legs, or wings. Snakes have backbones and are cold. Range Description: The King Cobra is widely distributed in South and Southeast Asia, from Nepal (where it is found throughout the lowlands of the Therai region. Class: Reptilia. Order: Squamata. Suborder: Serpentes. Family: Elapidae. Genus: Naja. Species: N. It is now protected in India under the Indian Wildlife Protection Act (1. Etymology and names. The genus was first described by Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti in 1. Naja naja is part of the subgenus Naja, along with all the other species Asiatic cobras, including Naja kaouthia, Naja siamensis, Naja sputatrix, and the rest. Naja naja is considered to be the prototypical cobra species within the Naja subgenus, and within the entire Naja genus. All Asiatic species of Naja were considered conspecific with Naja naja until the 1. Many of the subspecies were later found to be artificial or composites. This causes much potential confusion when interpreting older literature. Other snakes that resemble Naja naja are the banded racer Argyrogena fasciolata and the Indian smooth snake Coronella brachyura. The ventral scales or the underside colouration of this species can be grey, yellow, tan, brown, reddish or black. Dorsal scales of the Indian cobra may have a hood mark or colour patterns. The most common visible pattern is a posteriorly convex light band at the level of the 2. Salt- and- pepper speckles, especially in adult specimens, are seen on the dorsal scales. Specimens, particularly those found in Sri Lanka may exhibit poorly defined banding on the dorsum. Ontogenetic colour change is frequently observed in specimens in the north- western parts of their geographic range (southern Pakistan and north- western India). In southern Pakistan, juvenile specimens may be grey in colour and may or may not have a hood mark. Adults on the other hand are typically uniformly black in colour on top (melanistic), while the underside, outside the throat region, is usually light. Patterns on the throat and ventral scales are also variable in this species. The majority of specimens exhibit a light throat area followed by dark banding, which can be 4- 7 ventral scales wide. Adult specimens also often exhibit a significant amount of mottling on the throat and on the venter, which makes patterns on this species less clear relative to patterns seen in other species of cobra. With the exception of specimens from the north- west, there is often a pair of lateral spots on the throat where the ventral and dorsal scales meet. The positioning of these spots varies, with north- western specimens having the spots positioned more anterior, while specimens from elsewhere in their range are more posterior. Many specimens exhibit a hood mark. This hood mark is located at the rear of the Indian cobra's hood. When the hood mark is present, are two circular ocelli patterns connected by a curved line, evoking the image of spectacles. This cobra species can easily be identified by its relatively large and quite impressive hood, which it expands when threatened. This species has a head which is elliptical, depressed, and very slightly distinct from neck. The snout is short and rounded with large nostrils. The eyes are medium in size and the pupils are round. Some specimens, particularly those from Sri Lanka, may grow to lengths of 2. Midbody scales are in 2. There are 4. 8- 7. There are 7 upper labials (3rd the largest and in contact with nasal anteriorly, 3rd and 4th in contact with eye) and 9- 1. In India, it may or may not occur in the state of Assam, some parts of Kashmir, and it does not occur in high altitudes of over 2,0. In Pakistan, it is absent in most of Balochistan province, parts of North- West Frontier Province, desert areas elsewhere and Northern Areas. The most westerly record comes from Duki, Balochistan in Pakistan, while the most easterly record is from the Tangail District in Bangladesh. As this species has been observed in Drosh, in the Chitral Valley, it may also occur in the Kabul River Valley in extreme eastern Afghanistan. It can be found in dense or open forests, plains, agricultural lands (rice paddy fields, wheat crops), rocky terrain, wetlands, and it can even be found in heavily populated urban areas such as villages and city outskirts, ranging from sea- level to 2,0. This species is absent from true desert regions. The Indian cobra is often found in the vicinity of water. Preferred hiding locations are holes in embankments, tree hollows, termite mounds, rock piles and small mammal dens. The female snake usually lays between 1. The hatchlings measure between 2. The hatchlings are independent from birth and have fully functional venom glands. The Indian cobra's venom mainly contains a powerful post- synapticneurotoxin. The venom components include enzymes such as hyaluronidase that cause lysis and increase the spread of the venom. Envenomation symptoms may manifest between 1. According to one study, it is approximately 2. Polyvalent serum is available for treating snakebites caused by this species. Though this practice is now seen as outdated, symptoms of such abuse include loss of consciousness, euphoria, and sedation. The Hindu god Shiva is often depicted with a cobra called Vasuki, coiled around his neck, symbolizing his mastery over . Vishnu is usually portrayed as reclining on the coiled body of Adishesha, the Preeminent Serpent, a giant snake deity with multiple cobra heads. Cobras are also worshipped during the Hindu festival of Nag Panchami or Naagula Chavithi. Snake charming. The cobra's dramatic threat posture makes for a unique spectacle as it appears to sway to the tune of a snake charmer's flute. Snake charmers with their cobras in a wicker basket are a common sight in many parts of India only during the Nag Panchami or Naagula Chavithi festival. The cobra is deaf to the snake charmer's pipe, but follows the visual cue of the moving pipe and it can sense the ground vibrations from the snake charmer's tapping. Sometimes, for the sake of safety, all the venom in the cobra's teeth is removed. The snake- charmers sell the venom at a very high price. In the past Indian snake charmers also conducted cobra and mongoose fights. These gory fight shows, in which the snake was usually killed, are now illegal. Retrieved 2. 8 March 2. Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 2. 3 March 2. Retrieved 2. 8 March 2. Snakes of India: The Field Guide. Chennai, India: Draco Books. Systema naturae per regna tria naturae : secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis (in Latin) (1. Stockholm: Laurentius Salvius. Retrieved 2. 8 March 2. The Fauna of British India, Ceylon and Burma, Including the Whole of the Indo- Chinese Sub- Region. Reptilia and Amphibia. London, England: Taylor and Francis. The Book of Indian Reptiles and Amphibians. Oxford, England: Bombay Natural History Society and Oxford University Press. Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 2. 9 March 2. Retrieved 1. 5 September 2. University of Adelaide. Handbook of the snakes of India, Ceylon, Burma, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Agra : The Academy of Zoology. Snakes of India, The Field Guide. University of Queensland. Archived from the original on February 1, 2. Retrieved 1 December 2. Toxicology and Pharmacology of Venoms from Poisonous Snakes. Springfield, IL USA: Charles C. Weekly Epidemiological Record. BBC News (2. 01. 1- 0. Retrieved on 2. 01. Martz, W. Analytical Biochemistry. H.; Dubey, I.; Khess, C.
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