Where do cobras live? Two cobras: spectacled and Indian

Cobra (Naja sp.) is the largest of poisonous snakes of our planet. Snakes are reptiles with long, flexible bodies and no limbs. They move along the ground in wave-like movements using scales located on the underside of the body, which cling to the surface. A common feature All snakes are characterized by the absence of open auditory openings and movable eyelids in the eyes, as well as the presence of a forked tongue. Poisonous snakes have poisonous teeth on their upper jaws.
Cobra belongs to the class of reptiles, or reptiles, to the order Scaly, and to the family of aspid snakes. Cobra is common name many species of snakes, which are united by one feature: almost all of them are able to lift and straighten the front part of the body, expanding the neck. Some snakes not belonging to the genus Naja are also commonly called cobras; for example, the king cobra, despite its name, is not a true cobra.
The venom of many cobra species is neurotoxic, that is, it causes paralysis of the heart muscle and respiratory tract. If the necessary measures are not taken in time, this can lead to very rapid death. And its poison, if it gets into the eyes, can cause blindness.
Habitat: deserts and savannas of Africa, Asia, Australia. The king cobra lives in the forests of India and southern China, as well as in Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia. The spitting cobra lives in savannahs South Africa. The spectacled snake is found in tropical forests and in the rice plantations of India, Central and South-East Asia.
They have a rather thin body of brown or olive color and bronze-colored eyes. Body length king cobra reaches 6 m, spectacled - 2.2 m, spitting cobra - 1 m, weight up to 3 kg. Life expectancy is approximately 30 years. Cobra lives alone. It is active at dusk or at night.
The king cobra feeds on snakes and lizards. She can go many days without food. The spitting cobra and the spectacled snake eat frogs, small mammals and birds. Only mongooses and secretary birds manage to kill a cobra. Mongooses also love to destroy cobra nests.
The age of puberty occurs at 5-6 years. During breeding, spectacled cobras live in pairs. Mating of a spectacled snake can last from 5 hours to several days. King cobras mate in January. Cobras different types lay from 8 to 60 eggs. The king cobra nests on the ground. In April-May, the female digs a hole in the ground and covers it with leaves. The nest is two-story. On the lower floor there are eggs, and on the upper floor there is the female herself, guarding them. Egg maturation is from 50 to 90 days.
The snake's skin constantly rubs against the ground, so it wears out quickly. When the time comes to shed its old skin, the snake tears it on some rough surface and crawls out of it.
If the snake is disturbed and cannot crawl away, then it takes a fighting stance and “flattens” the skin on its neck, spreading several ribs to frighten the enemy. They say she opens her hood. The head of a king cobra in a fighting stance can reach the level of a human head! Thus the cobra warns of an attack. You should be wary of the snake's poisonous teeth. Its bite can even kill an elephant, and a person bitten by it dies in just half an hour. Some cobras can shoot their venom at a distance of 2-3 m. Moreover, they always aim at the opponent’s eyes in order to blind him.
Deadly dangerous predator, after the poison is removed, is in particular demand among snake charmers. Of course, the cobra does not dance to the rhythm of the melody, it only follows the movements of the caster's flute. The fact is that the cobra does not hear sounds (all snakes are deaf).
The cobra does not attack humans and large animals because it is not capable of
swallow them whole. Therefore, she can only bite for defensive purposes.
The king cobra (hamadryad) is the largest venomous snake in the world. Its poison is very strong and can kill a person in a quarter of an hour. Fortunately, it feeds almost exclusively on other snakes, only occasionally swallowing large lizards.
Spectacled cobra. It can be brown, green or brown, but it is easily recognized by two large spots on the back there is a “hood” that looks like glasses. Spectacled cobras live in deserts. They settle in rodent burrows and lay eggs there. Usually there are from 10 to 20 pieces. The female guards the eggs until the young hatch.
The Indian cobra is so poisonous that its venom instantly paralyzes the victim. And even a huge elephant dies 4 hours after a cobra bite.
The African egg-eating snake excels at climbing trees in search of bird eggs. Having found the nest, she crawls into it, opens her jaws wide and swallows the egg whole, which can be 2 times the width of her body. Inside the esophagus, the egg is crushed. The yolk and white enter the stomach, and the shell is regurgitated.
The spitting cobra, which lives in Africa, shoots its venom at the victim from a distance of 3 m. The poison does not lead to death, but if it gets into the eyes, it causes unbearable pain. Subsequently, the victim may even go blind. The cobra releases venom 4-6 times. The spent supply is restored within 24 hours.

Looking at the photo of this animal standing, two sensations involuntarily arise in the soul: fear and admiration. On the one hand, you understand that King Cobra extremely dangerous and poisonous, and, on the other hand, one cannot help but admire her, truly, royal stature and proud, independent, regal appearance, which is simply mesmerizing. Let's take a more thorough look at her life activity, describing not only her appearance, but also her habits, character, and serpentine disposition.

Origin of the species and description

The king cobra is also called the hamadryad. The reptile belongs to the genus of king cobras of the same name, being a representative of the asp family. This family is very extensive and very poisonous, including 61 genera and 347 species of snake creatures. Perhaps, of all the venomous snakes, the king cobra is the largest. Its length can be more than five and a half meters, but such specimens are very rare; on average, the length of the snake is 3 - 4 meters.

Interesting fact: The largest king cobra was caught in 1937, its length was 5.71 meters, it spent its snake life in the London Zoo.

In general, the very name “cobra” dates back to the sixteenth century during the era of the greatest geographical discoveries. The Portuguese, who were planning to settle in the territory, met there with spectacled snake, which became known as "Cobra de Capello", which means "snake in a hat" in Portuguese. This is how this name took root for all crawling creatures with a hood. The name of the king cobra with Latin language translated as “snake eater.”

Video: King Cobra

Herpetologists have nicknamed this reptile hannah, which is similar to the Latin name (Ophiophagus hannah); they divide king cobras into two separate groups:

• Chinese (continental) have wide stripes and uniform patterns throughout the body;
• Indonesian (island) - snakes of a uniform color with unequal spots of a reddish hue in the throat area and light thin stripes located across.

There is a misconception that King Cobra- the most poisonous snake on the entire planet, this is a misconception. This title was given to McCoy's taipan, whose venom is 180 times more dangerous and stronger than that of the hamadryad. There are other reptiles with more strong poison than the king cobra.

Appearance and features

We have figured out the size of the king cobra, but its mass in medium-sized specimens reaches approximately six kilograms, in large-sized specimens it reaches up to twelve. Sensing danger, the cobra spreads its pectoral ribs so that something like a hood appears on top. He is the most important one external feature. On the hood there are six fairly large dark-colored shields, having a semicircular shape.

The hood has the ability to swell due to the presence of skin folds located on the sides. There is a completely flat area on top of the cobra’s head; the reptile’s eyes are small, most often dark in color. and snake fangs grow up to one and a half centimeters.

The color of a mature snake is most often dark olive or Brown with lighter rings across the body, although their presence is not necessary. The reptile's tail is either swamp or completely black. The color of the young is usually brownish-brown or black; it has whitish, sometimes yellowish, stripes running across it. By the tone of the snake's color and the stripes on it, you can guess which of the above groups (Chinese or Indonesian) the cobra belongs to. The color of the scales located on the ridge of the snake depends on permanent place dislocation of the cobra, because camouflage for a reptile is very important.

Therefore, it can be in the following shades:

• green;
• brown;
• black;
• sandy yellow.

The belly color is always lighter than dorsal part, it is usually light beige.

Where does the king cobra live?

Hanna prefers moist conditions and prefers the presence of dense forest undergrowth. In general, a snake person can adapt to different natural areas and landscapes. It can also live in mangrove areas and dense bamboo thickets.

Scientists conducted research and tracked the movements of king cobras using radio-controlled beacons. As a result, it turned out that some reptiles always live in a certain area, while others migrate to new places, located tens of kilometers from their previous places of registration.

Nowadays, king cobras increasingly live near human settlements. Most likely, this is a forced step, because... people are intensively displacing them from inhabited territories, plowing up land and cutting down forests where snakes have settled for centuries. Cobras are also attracted to cultivated fields, because there you can feast on all kinds of rodents, which is often done by young snakes.

Now you know where does the king cobra live, let's see what she eats.

What does the king cobra eat?

It’s not for nothing that the king cobra is called the eater, which are frequent guests in its snake menu, consisting of:

• skids;
• keffiyeh;
• boig;
• kraits;
• pythons;

Among cobras, it sometimes occurs that adults eat their small cubs. In addition to snakes, the diet of the king cobra includes fairly large lizards, including. As already mentioned, young animals are not averse to snacking. Sometimes cobras also eat some birds.

When hunting, the cobra becomes purposeful and agile, furiously pursuing its prey. First, she tries to grab the victim by the tail, and then seeks to inflict deadly bites on or near the head. The most powerful venom of the king cobra kills the victim outright. It is worth noting that the cobra’s teeth are not long and do not have the ability to fold, like others, so Hannah tries to hold the prey in order to bite it several times. And the strongest poison of this reptile kills even a huge one; usually about six milliliters are injected into the body of the person bitten. Poisonous toxin affects nervous system, making it impossible to breathe, and within a few minutes after the bite the caught prey goes into cardiac arrest.

Interesting fact: The king cobra, unlike many other reptiles, does not engage in gluttony. She freely endures a three-month hunger strike, during which she hatches her offspring.

Features of character and lifestyle

Many people associate the cobra with a stand and a swollen hood, and the king cobra is no exception. The reptile hovers vertically, raising a third of its body upward. This body position does not hinder the snake's movement; it indicates that the reptile dominates other cobra relatives when contractions occur during the wedding season. The cobra that manages to peck the opponent right in the crown wins the battle. The defeated opponent leaves the stance and moves away. For a cobra, its own venom is non-toxic; snakes have long developed immunity, so duelists never die from bites.

Interesting fact: At the moment of aggression, the king cobra can produce a sound resembling a roar, thanks to the tracheal diverticula, which can sound at a low frequency.

The cobra rises into a stance not only during mating games, but it also warns the enemy about a possible attack. Its venom paralyzes the respiratory muscles, which leads to death of those bitten. A person who has received a poisonous dose will not live longer than half an hour unless a special antidote is immediately introduced into the body, and not everyone has this opportunity.

Interesting fact: There are few human fatalities from king cobra bites, although the snake's venomousness and aggressiveness are quite significant.

Scientists explain this by saying that the cobra needs the king’s venom for productive hunting, because it devours other snakes, so the creeping one saves its valuable toxin and does not waste it in vain. To intimidate a person, Hannah often bites him empty, without injecting poison. The snake has remarkable self-control and patience and will not enter into conflict without a reason. If she is nearby, then it is better for the person to be at her eye level and try to freeze, so Hannah will understand that there is no threat, and she will retreat.

The growth of the king cobra continues throughout its life, which, when favorable circumstances may exceed the thirty-year mark. The reptile's molting process occurs 4 to 6 times annually, which brings enormous stress to the royal person. It lasts about ten days, during which time the snake is very vulnerable and strives to find a warm, secluded place. In general, cobras love to hide in safe burrows and caves, skillfully crawl in the crowns of trees and are excellent swimmers.

A king cobra living in a zoo is very rare, this is due to the reptile’s increased aggressive attitude. In addition, it is very difficult to feed a royal person, because she does not really like rodents, preferring snake snacks.

Social structure and reproduction

During the snake wedding season, partners often get into fights over their partners. The one who emerges victorious from them gets the opportunity to mate. A short moment of courtship in a relationship is also present; before mating, the gentleman needs to understand that his chosen one is calm and will not kill him in the heat of aggression, and this is the case with king cobras. The mating process itself lasts no more than an hour.

King cobras are oviparous reptiles. Approximately in monthly period the expectant mother begins to lay eggs. Before that important matter, the female prepares a nest from branches and rotted leaves. Such a structure is erected on a hill so as not to be flooded in case of heavy rains; it can reach up to five meters in diameter. The clutch of a king cobra contains from 20 to 40 eggs.

Interesting fact: The male does not leave his partner immediately after fertilization, but carefully guards the nest together with her. Partners relieve each other so that they are on duty around the clock. At this time, the future snake parents are extremely hot-tempered, angry and incredibly dangerous.

The process of tirelessly monitoring the nest takes three whole months, during which time the female eats nothing at all, so it is no wonder that her level of aggression simply goes off scale. Before the offspring hatch, she leaves the nest so as not to eat her own children after such a long diet. The small snakes graze in the nest area for about a day, feeding on the yolks remaining in the eggs. Babies are born already poisonous, like adults, but this does not save them from attacks by various ill-wishers, of which there are many, so out of several dozen cubs, only two to four lucky survivors get the road to life.

Natural enemies of king cobras

Despite the fact that the king cobra carries a poisonous, potent, striking weapon and has an aggressive disposition, its life in natural natural conditions it is not so easy and it is not endowed with immortality. Many enemies are waiting and hunting for this dangerous royal person.

Among them are:

• snake eagles;

All of Hannah’s ill-wishers listed above are not averse to feasting on her. Inexperienced young animals are especially vulnerable because they cannot provide significant resistance to predators. As already mentioned, out of the entire egg clutch of a cobra, only a few cubs survive, the rest become victims of ill-wishers. We should not forget that the mother cobra herself can eat newborn babies, because it is very difficult to withstand a hundred-day hunger strike.

Boars are very massive and thick-skinned, and it is not easy for a snake to bite through their skin. Meerkats and mongooses do not have any immunity against the reptile's venom, but are its worst enemies. One need only remember Kipling's famous story about the brave mongoose Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, who bravely fought a family of cobras. Fearless and agile, mongooses and meerkats rely on their mobility, swiftness, resourcefulness and instant reaction when fighting a reptile.

The mongoose has long noticed that the hanna is a little phlegmatic and slow, so it developed a special plan of attack for the attack: the animal quickly jumps and immediately recoils, then immediately repeats a series of the same maneuvers, confusing the snake. Having seized the right moment, the mongoose makes its final leap, which ends with a bite in the back of the cobra's head, which leads the discouraged reptile to death.

Small snakes are threatened by other, larger reptiles, but the most notorious and unsurpassed enemy of the king cobra is a person who destroys snakes purposefully, killing and catching them, and indirectly, through his violent and often thoughtless activity.

Population and species status

The king cobra population is steadily declining. This is due to human actions, which are very selfish and uncontrollable. People catch cobras to collect their venom, which is highly valued in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic fields. An antidote is made from the poison that can neutralize poisonous effect snake bite. The poison is used to produce painkillers. Many diseases are treated with its use (asthma, epilepsy, bronchitis, arthritis). Cobra venom is used to make creams that counteract skin aging, reducing the appearance of wrinkles. In general, the value of the poison is great, and the king cobra often suffers from this, losing its life.

The reason for the extermination of cobra is that in many Asian countries its meat is consumed as food, considering it valuable and delicious delicacy. An incredible number of dishes are prepared from the meat of the royal reptile, eating it fried, boiled, salted, baked and even pickled. The Chinese not only eat snake skin, but also drink the fresh blood of hanna. In the area, eating a cobra is considered a ritual.

Interesting fact: Laotians believe that by eating a cobra, they gain its strength, courage, healthy mind and wisdom.

Cobras often lose their lives due to own skin, which is highly valued in the fashion industry. Reptile skin has not only beauty, original texture and ornament, but also strength and durability. All kinds of handbags, purses, belts, shoes are made from Hannah snakeskin; all these fashion accessories cost fabulous sums.

Humans influence the population of king cobras through their actions, which often lead to the fact that cobras are forced out of their permanent locations. People are actively developing lands, plowing them up for agricultural land, expanding urban areas, cutting down dense forests, and building new highways. All this has a detrimental effect on the life of many representatives of the fauna, including the king cobra.

It should not be surprising that as a result of all the above human actions, king cobras are becoming fewer and fewer, they are under threat of destruction and their status is designated as vulnerable in environmental lists.

King Cobra Conservation

It is sad to realize that king cobras are under threat, their population is constantly declining due to the fact that it is not possible to eradicate poaching, which is flourishing in many countries where the majestic king snake lives. Not only the illegal catching of reptiles, but also the active actions of people occupying snake territories lead to the death of a considerable number of snakes. We should not forget that only one tenth of the young survive from the entire clutch.

The king cobra is listed as a vulnerable species that is under threat. Because of this, in some countries the authorities have taken these reptiles under protection. Back in the eighties of the last century, a law was passed in India, which is still in force, according to which a strict ban was introduced on the killing and illegal catching of these reptiles. The penalty for violating it is a three-year prison sentence. Hindus consider the king cobra sacred and hang its image in their homes, believing that it will bring prosperity and prosperity to the home.

Interesting fact: In India there is a holiday in honor of the king cobra. On this day, indigenous people carry snakes from the forest to let them into temples and city streets. Hindus believe that on such a day a snake bite is impossible. After the celebration, all the reptiles are taken back to the forest.

At the end it remains to add that King Cobra, indeed, looks like a person of blue blood, reminiscent of the article with her beautiful hood Egyptian queen. It is not for nothing that her wisdom and greatness are revered by many nations. The main thing is that people also remain wise and noble, so that this unique reptile does not disappear from our planet.

Snakes have inhabited the Earth for many millions of years. Scientists count about 3,000 snakes on the planet. Only a small part of reptiles do not have poison and do not pose a danger to human life (see). Many species of snakes are found everywhere, others live only in warm climate, and, perhaps, only in Antarctica there are no snakes. Cobras are considered one of the most poisonous snakes, which with the help of their poison can kill a person and even a large animal. Why is a cobra bite so dangerous?

You can meet these majestic snakes only in warm countries with humid climate, cobras do not like the cold and do not live where there is snow. A person may encounter a snake while traveling through warm countries and continents. Often such a meeting takes place without dangerous consequences cobra bite, since the snake never attacks a person first. The snake will hiss for quite a long time and show its danger with all its appearance, but it rushes at a person as a last resort. Basically, the aggressiveness of cobras increases in mating season and while waiting for offspring, when the snake guards its nest with eggs laid in it.

What types of cobras are there?

Cobras belong to the Asp family. There are 16 species of cobras on Earth, and all of them are considered very poisonous and deadly to humans. Snakes reproduce more in winter period, in January or February. A fertilized female necessarily makes a nest of dry leaves, where she then lays from 8 to 40 eggs. Cobras carefully guard their future offspring; very often you can see a male cobra lying on the nest. Usually, when small baby snakes emerge from the eggs after 80 days, the male drives the female away from the offspring, otherwise she may eat her babies.

Little snakes already have poisonous substance in their teeth and can also pose a danger to humans. Only adult individuals pose a mortal threat to human life; if they encounter a small cobra on their way, a person can get away with only minor intoxication, provided that medical assistance is provided in a timely manner.

Find out when it is dangerous. Providing emergency assistance.

Do you know what to do after: first aid and prognosis for the patient.

The most venomous of all cobra species are the following snakes:

Symptoms of a cobra bite

Cobra venom contains a special toxin that, when it penetrates the victim’s skin, blocks pain, so many people do not feel a cobra bite at all. At the site of the snake's attack, two small red dots can be observed. Swelling and redness skin, as a rule, are absent. The poisonous substance of the snake has neurotoxic (see) properties and causes the following symptoms from the central nervous system:

• headache;
• fainting and clouding of consciousness;
• involuntary urination;
• paralysis and paresis;
• labored breathing;
• slight excitement, followed by apathy and lethargy;
• heart failure;
• muscle cramps (see);
• decrease in blood pressure.

A cobra bite can be fatal to a person if the victim is not treated in time. medical care. In a child, snake venom almost always causes fatal outcome.

Read, ? How to prevent a spider attack.

Find out what the consequences may be for a person. Providing first aid for a bite.

Do you know what it represents for a person? What to do if bitten by a spider.

First aid for a snake attack

Cobras are very calm and peaceful reptiles. In order for a cobra to bite, you need to try hard. The snake first warns its enemy for a long time about a possible attack, hissing, straightening its hood and swinging vertically in different sides. If the cobra is not left alone, it will be forced to attack its enemy. Having received a cobra bite, the victim must take first aid measures or ask someone to provide it.

The first thing to do is to place the bite victim in a dark place. The head of the bitten person should be lowered slightly below the level of the body. The wound from the snake's teeth is washed big amount cool water If possible, use a soap solution. Under no circumstances should you cauterize, much less cut, the wound. The poison cannot be extracted in this way; only infection can occur.

If you have a special syringe or bulb for sucking out the poison, then you need to suck out the poisonous substance from the wound within the first 5 minutes after the cobra bite. You can try to suck out the poison with your mouth, but only if there are no wounds in your mouth and your teeth are absolutely healthy. The sucked poison is periodically spat out, and at the end of the procedure, the mouth should be rinsed with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

Then the victim’s wound is treated with any antiseptic and a cold compress is applied. Cold promotes slow absorption of poison into the human body. A tourniquet or pressure bandage can be applied to the bitten area. The injured person must be given plenty of warm liquid, and you can also give him an antihistamine to drink.

Important! Anyone bitten by a cobra must be taken to a medical facility, where he will be injected with a special serum against the bite of these snakes.

Cobra is one of the most beautiful on the planet. If it bites a person, the only way to escape is to immediately administer snakebite serum.

The king cobra reaches 5 - 7 meters in length and can weigh up to 9 kg. Interestingly, some species do not even bite with their teeth during an attack, as they spit venom quite accurately.

Where do cobras live?

Cobras are distributed almost all over the world, where there is enough warmth and food for them. They usually choose places near bodies of water, in abandoned gardens and plantations, and sometimes in close proximity to human habitation. They also like to settle in large old buildings, as well as in places where there is a lot of garbage.

The king cobra is the largest venomous snake on the planet. But besides it, there are several no less dangerous, and often even deadly species cobra

The most famous of them:

• Indian cobra
• Egyptian cobra

Most species of cobras have a characteristic hood in the neck area, which they open when they see danger or when they are about to attack. Sometimes the hood has markings in the form of glasses or a ring.

Attacks on people

Cobras do not attack humans because humans are too large for them to serve as a food source. An attack often occurs when there is immediate danger to the cobra itself, for example when someone steps on it.

Nutrition

As a rule, they feed on other types of snakes, small animals such as rats, frogs, and sometimes birds.

During an attack, the cobra pierces the skin of the victim with its fangs to inject venom. Cobra venom acts on the nervous system, blocking the victim's breathing. A few minutes after the bite, the animal dies due to cardiac arrest.

Even a small amount of The king cobra's venom is enough to kill 30 people.

Snake charmer

In India, it is not uncommon to see snake charmer shows on the street. In presentation it is usually used Indian cobras. First, the cobras are provoked to attack, and then the snake charmer calms them with a rhythmic melody. At the same time, the snake sways from side to side, following the caster’s pipe.

KING COBRA - SNAKE KILLER

The largest of all venomous snakes in the world is not without reason called the king cobra. The average size of an adult is three to four meters, but there are individual specimens reaching a length of five and a half meters. This poisonous monster can be found in India, South China, in Malaysia and Indonesia, the Greater Sunda Islands and the Philippines. The king cobra prefers remote areas of the jungle, covered with dense undergrowth or tall grass, but sometimes appears in residential villages. It is very easy to recognize: on the king cobra’s head behind the back of the head there are six large scutes arranged in a semicircle. The body of the snake, which has a yellowish-green color, is surrounded by black rings, vague and narrow near the head and clearer and wider closer to the tail.

The snake itself has a rather nasty character and an unpleasant habit of chasing its opponent when he tries to escape. The king cobra is an excellent swimmer and excellent tree climber, making it very difficult to hide from it. True, the aggressiveness of the snake is simply explained. Most often, her attacks are associated with protecting a nest with eggs. Travelers who encounter a king cobra in the jungle and are forced to shoot it or flee for their lives talk about the reptile's seemingly causeless attack. However, they may not realize that they were actually passing by a snake's nest.

Yes, oddly enough, the king cobra is the only snake that builds a nest for its offspring. The cobra uses its body to rake grass and dry leaves into a pile until it forms a low, round cushion. Having laid eggs there (usually from twenty to forty pieces), the snake settles on top and “hatches” them like a real bird. Sometimes the female is replaced by the father of the offspring, just like the mother, ready at any moment to take off and punish anyone passing by, be it a person or an animal.
True, after the birth of baby snakes, parents stop all care of them. But small cobras do not need protection and with early childhood are able to provide their own food.

In India, the king cobra is treated with great reverence. One reason is that the cobra feeds mainly on snakes. Along with harmless snakes, its diet includes kraits, whose poison is the most terrible in the world, and ordinary cobras. That is why the king cobra was given a scientific name, which translates as “snake eater”.

sacred reptile

As already mentioned, despite the terrible danger this snake poses, Hindus idolize the king cobra. The seven-headed king cobra Shesh Naga serves as a bed and protection for the god Vishnu. Very often in temples there are images of Vishnu standing under the open hood of this giant cobra. IN long hair the god Shiva is also woven with figures of small snakes - symbols of his magical power and wisdom. Indians say that the king cobra is the only snake that understands sacred spells - mantras. This snake has purity and holiness, and it is called upon to bring wealth to the house and protect it from enemies.

The appearance of a king cobra in a temple is a sacred event. So, in September 2005, a white king cobra crawled into one of the Hindu temples in Malaysia during a service and wrapped itself around the statue of one of the saints. The parishioners took the appearance of the albino snake as a sign from above, and the temple immediately organized offerings of food and drink for the cobra and even cash to benefit the temple. The snake “stayed” for several days and during this time the sanctuary was visited by more than four thousand pilgrims.

King cobras are protected in India not only by religion, but also by secular decrees. In 1972, the government passed a law prohibiting the unnecessary killing of cobras. The offender faces imprisonment for up to three years. In the central and southern parts countries have opened special reserves for reptiles. And in 2002, there was even a special clinic for treatment in India. wild snakes injured in the jungle.

Snake celebrations

Once a year, Hindus hold a king cobra festival. We have already written about it, it is called Nag-panchami. So, on this day there is universal worship of nagas - king cobras. Hindus bring snakes from the forest, release them in temples and right on the streets, feed them honey and other sweets and give them milk to drink. People wrap snakes around their heads, hang them around their necks, and wrap them around their arms. And what’s most interesting: not a single snake even tries to bite anyone. But they also do more risky things with them. For example, men compete to see whose snake is longer. They take the reptile by the tail, use a stick to hook the cobra under the base of the hood and pull it high up. The one with the highest snake head will win. And all this is done not with harmless snakes, but with real king cobras, freshly brought from the jungle. Indians firmly believe in the legend, which has been repeatedly confirmed by practice, that on the Nag Panchami holiday snakes do not bite anyone.

At the end of the celebration, the residents carefully take the tired cobras back to the jungle and begin to fear them again, until the next holiday.
If the cobra itself comes to a residential building as an uninvited guest, then they do not kill it, but try to appease it with offerings and persuade it not to harm the residents. During heavy rains Cobras strive to leave the jungle and hide in people's houses. When one of the villages is subjected to such an invasion, the residents abandon their homes and turn to the nearest snake charmer for help, so that he would relieve people from this scourge painlessly for the cobras. And in some rich houses, king cobras constantly live as pets - favorites of the whole family and excellent guards. Domestic cobras perfectly distinguish their owners from strangers, and while their own can be treated quite freely, it is best for uninvited strangers to stay away from them.