Cobra Snakes
Essay title: Cobra Snakes
Snakes are fun to know about. They are scary, poisonous createars that killed many people. And cobras are one of the most famous snakes (Cleopatra used an Egyptian cobra to kill herself). So, I choose cobras to make a research on.
Cobras
Cobras are venomous snakes of family Elapidae, of several genera. They generally inhabit tropical and desert regions of Asia and Africa. Cobras kill their prey, usually small rodents and birds, by injecting a neurotoxin through their hollow fangs. The King Cobra notably eats other snakes; it feeds almost entirely on other snakes, even venomous ones (ophiophagy). The spitting cobra can also incapacitate larger would-be predators by delivering irritating venom to their eyes. Cobras come in varying colors from black or dark brown to yellowish white. The (jet) black cobra found in North India is considered a sub-species of cobra.
The cobras most recognizable feature is its hood, a flap of skin and muscle behind the head which it can flare, perhaps for the purpose of making it appear bigger and more threatening to predators. which may also serve to confuse enemies. The cobras predators include the mongoose and possibly some raptors.
The word “cobra” came from Spanish or Italian and is short for “cobra capello” = “snake with a hat” or similar (referring to the hood); it probably came from Latin coluber = “snake”.
The cobra is important in Hindu symbolism.
The Egyptian cobra (naja haje) (asp) is a type of venomous snake native to North Africa and the Middle East. Its bite is extremely poisonous, and it is ten times more than the Indian cobra. The Egyptian cobra is the most common cobra in Africa and it has caused the most deaths. It lives from the Sahara Desert to the Syrian Desert. The Egyptian cobra, like all other cobras, raises its hood when in danger.
The red Mozambique spitting cobra:
When cobras