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Spectacled cobra is one of the many dangerous and poisonous snakes that live on Earth. Snakes are different: one of them is absolutely harmless, and someone is really dangerous. However, people to this day treat all of them with prejudice, since they do not have too much of a look for themselves. Among snakes there are such individuals that anyone recognizes - cobras. A striking representative of this species is the Indian cobra, or, as it is also called, the spectacled snake, which is scaly. It originates from the family of aspids, and those, in turn, are from the genus of real cobras.
What does such a cobra look like?
Spectacled snake can reach up to 180 cm in length. Her head is slightly rounded, and on its surface there are several large shields. The individual has two eyes with round pupils that are inextricably following what is happening.
The teeth of the Indian cobra are small, which can not be said about two fangs: they not only differ in size compared to the others, but also contain a stock of poison. The body of the snake is covered with small scales with a rich color palette: they can be either light yellow or brown, or even black. As for such individuals at an early age, they have black transverse stripes, which later disappear. The sign by which the cobra can be easily distinguished from other snakes is a pattern on the upper part of its body in the form of glasses. He shows the predators coming from the rear that the reptile seems to be turned in their direction and warns of an immediate reaction, which more than once saves the life of the snake.
The cobra is not very fast: it moves slowly and awkwardly, but when it comes time to move through the trees at high altitude, it does it rather adroitly.
Where does the spectacled snake live?
Such reptiles prefer a warm climate: they can easily be found in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and also on the east coast of Hindustan near the Indian Ocean.
Representatives of this species live in fields and tropical forests, often make their way to residential areas. Sometimes they are seen in ruins, caves and deep ravines, under the roots of sprawling trees, and even in brushwood. Indian cobra is able to live even in the mountains at an altitude of 2.5 km above sea level.
How does a spectacle snake live?
This cobra is a threat to living things, including humans. If the poison enters his body, then he may become ill, his nervous system will begin to suffer, the person will gradually become paralyzed, after which, if untreated, death occurs.
When the snake senses that a predator is approaching, it hisses loudly and inflates its “hood” due to the expansion of all its front ribs, as a result of which a pattern of glasses appears on the back. At this time, the cobra is ready to attack the enemy. If you ignore this alarm, the snake immediately jump, starting to defend itself: it bites and thereby poisons the enemy. However, she never attacks from behind or quietly, and even if she attacks, she often does not inject poison: this is because she does not want to waste it.
What does a spectacular snake eat?
Despite its poison, a cobra is not a too big threat for a person: when people see it, it tries to crawl away. The fact is that it feeds exclusively on small mammals, rodents, chickens and reptiles. Sometimes its diet includes amphibians and birds; she can attack their nests (if they are too low) and steal eggs.It happens like this: first, a snake, through a bite, injects poison into the victim’s body, after which it can swallow it.
How does a spectacular cobra reproduce?
The mating season begins at the snake in mid-winter, and at the end of May, females begin to lay their first eggs. Usually their number reaches 20 pcs., But sometimes it happens that in the masonry there can be as many as 45 pieces.
The female and the male have been together since the beginning of the mating season and until the birth of the cubs: they do not hatch eggs, but do not leave future snakes. This is necessary so that the masonry is reliably protected from predators, and they do not crash. This period lasts from 70 to 80 days. After the young have hatched, they can already be deadly, as their teeth contain poison for self-defense. They live about 30 years, if they do not die earlier due to the attack of predators.
Who is the Indian cobra afraid of?
The spectacle snake has many enemies, the main one of which is the mongoose - a small predator that can make sharp and quick movements, thereby avoiding its bites. In addition, his sensitivity to the venom of such a snake is much lower than that of other animals. The mongoose attacks the cobra with a jump, turning away and jumping from its throws, and then easily bites its teeth into her neck.
How does a person use Indian cobra?
As for the modern world, now the Indian cobra is used as entertainment for tourists. The main thing is to know all the habits of the snake and study its behavior - this is the only way to avoid the risk of being poisoned! This field is especially popular with spellcasters who use different musical instruments for their work - most often a pipe. From the side it seems that the snake begins to dance to the sounds of music, but this is not so - it lacks hearing organs, and the cobra does not hear anything, which implies that it is preparing for this attack, expanding its ribs. When a pattern of glasses appears on the back, this means that the snake is becoming too dangerous to continue watching, and the caster quickly locks the cage.
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