Southeasi Asia 



COBRAS 



The cobras are at once tlie best and most poorly 

 known of Asia's poisonous snakes. Except for 

 the very distinct king cobra, all central and south 

 Asian po^iulations are regarded as subspecies of 

 Naja naja. There are, however, some significant 

 differences in fang type, pattern, color, behavior, 

 and venom composition among these forms, hence 

 they will be considered separately. 



The Asian cobras are at home in many types 

 of terrain, only desert and dense rain forest being 

 generally avoided. Flat country Mith high grass 

 and scattered groves of trees is an oiitinnim habi- 

 tat. Rice fields and other sorts of acricultui-al 



Figure 85. — Indian Cdtua. Xaja naja nujii. The hood 

 pattern of two spots Is distinctive. Photo by Eritli 

 Sochurek. 



land may support many cobras, and they ai'e 

 often common around villages and cities. Here 

 they may be found in crumbling walls, old build- 

 ings, and gardens. 



In western India and Pakistan cobras are more 

 active by day — usually in the evening and early 

 morning — while in the coiuitries to the east they 

 show a greater tendency to be nocturnal. They 

 are timid when encountered in the open and seek 

 to escape. When cornered the}- i"ear up and 

 spread their hoods, but biting seems to be almost 

 a last resort. The snakes frequently strike with 

 the mouth closed. They are most dangerous when 

 surprised at close quartei-s. In biting, they tend 

 to hold on, chewing sa\agely. Althougli the 

 fangs of Malayan, Indonesian, and Philippine 

 cobras are modified for spraying venom at the 

 eyes, this behavior seems to be uncommon, at least 

 when the sinike is confronted by a liuman foe. 



The hood identifies a living cobra. Although 

 some nonpoisonous Asian snakes flatten the neck 

 slightly when alarmed, none do so to such a 

 marked degree as do the Asian Najn. The hood 

 of the king cobra is much narrower. Identifica- 

 tion of dead cobras is more difficult. Among the 

 more useful .scale characteristics are absence of 

 the loreal shield and the presence of a large third 

 supralabial which touches both the eye and the 

 nasal shield. This combination is seen elsewhere 

 only in some of the Oriental coral .snakes. Color 

 and pattern are extremely variable and will be 

 discussed in the following paragraphs; however, 

 most Asian Xapt have conspicious dark bars or 

 spots on the underside of the neck at about the 

 level of the hood. Tliis is not seen in many non- 

 poisonous snakes th;it might l)e confused with 

 cobras. 



Large cobras niaj" have a great quantity of 

 venom — sometimes 500 to 600 mg. — and the lethal 

 dose for man is estimated at not more than 20 mg. 

 In spite of this, many persons recover from bites 

 without effective treatment. Evidently the snakes 

 may inject little venom when biting defensively. 

 Some cobra bites are accompanied by extensive 

 necrosis wiiji little systemic effect. Such bites 

 have been reported in ]\Ialaya and elsewhere in 

 .southeast Asia and also in west Africa. The 

 strongly letlial component of cobra venom can be 

 .separated from that component producing local 

 necrosis, and it appears that venom of some pop- 



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