Egyptian Cobra

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 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. Egyptian Cobra, from images of Africa, free use File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Egyptian Cobra, from images of Africa, free use File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Superfamilies and Families Henophidia Aniliidae Anomochilidae Boidae Bolyeriidae Cylindrophiidae Loxocemidae Pythonidae Tropidophiidae Uropeltidae Xenopeltidae Typhlopoidea Anomalepididae Leptotyphlopidae Typhlopidae Xenophidia Acrochordidae Atractaspididae Colubridae Elapidae Hydrophiidae Viperidae Snakes are cold blooded legless reptiles closely related to lizards, which share the order Squamata. ... Scientific classification or biological classification refers to how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ... Genera Acanthophis - death adder Aspidelaps - shieldnose cobra Aspidomorphus - collared adder Austrelaps Boulengerina - water cobra Bungarus - Indian krait Cacophis - dwarf crowned snake Calliophis - Oriental coral snake Demansia - venomous whip snake Dendroaspis - mamba Denisonia - ornamental snake Drysdalia - Australian crown snake Echiopsis - bardick snake Elapognathus - little brown snake Elapsoidea - venomous garter snake Furina... See genus (mathematics) for the use of the term in mathematics. ... Asia is the largest and most populous of the Earths continents. ... Africa - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Families See Classification Section The order Rodentia is the most numerous of all the branches on the mammal family tree. ... Orders Many - see section below. ... A neurotoxin is a toxin that acts specifically on nerve cells, or neurons, usually by interacting with membrane proteins and ion channels. ... Binomial name Ophiophagus hannah (Cantor, 1836) The king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) is the longest of the venomous snakes, growing up to 18 feet (5. ... Ophiophagy (snake eating) is a specialized form of feeding or alimentary behavior of animals which hunt and eat snakes. ... The term spitting cobra refers to any one of eleven species of cobras that have the ability to spit or eject venom from their mouth when defending themself against predators. ...

The cobra's 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. The cobra's predators include the mongoose and some raptors. The hood is the name in anatomy for the flap of skin behind the head of cobras, which can be used to make the snake appear bigger. ... Subfamiles Herpestinae Galidiinae A mongoose is any member of the Herpestidae family of small, cat-like carnivores. ... Orders Accipitriformes     Cathartidae     Pandionidae     Accipitridae     Sagittariidae Falconiformes     Falconidae A bird of prey or raptor is a bird that hunts its food, especially one that preys on mammals or other birds. ...

"Cobra" is the Portuguese common name for a snake; it came from late Latin *colobra (for classical coluber, colubra). When Portuguese navigators arrived to the coasts of Africa and South Asia in the 16th century, they named the cobras "cobra-capelo" = "hood-snake"; from this compound, the name entered Spanish, French, English, and other European languages. Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ...

A pair of cobras are the villians in Rudyard Kipling's short story, "Rikki Tikki Tavi". Bold text Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling (December 30, 1865 – January 18, 1936) was a British author and poet, born in India. ... Rikki-Tikki-Tavi book cover Rikki-Tikki-Tavi is a short story in The Jungle Book (1894) by Rudyard Kipling. ...

The cobra is important in Hindu symbolism. A Hindu is an adherent of Hinduism, the predominant religious, philosophical and cultural systems of Bharat (India) and Nepal. ...

Snakes named Cobra

True Cobras

• Spitting cobra, (Various species)
• Cape Cobra, Naja nivea
• Indian Cobra, Naja naja
• Egyptian Cobra, Naja haje
• Monocled Cobra, Naja naja kaouthia

Despite the names, the following snakes are not strictly classified as cobras and do not belong to the cobra genus Naja. The term spitting cobra refers to any one of eleven species of cobras that have the ability to spit or eject venom from their mouth when defending themself against predators. ... The Egyptian cobra (naja haje) (asp) is a type of venomous snake native to North Africa and the Middle East. ...

• Eastern Water Cobra, Boulengerina annulata stormsi
• Gold's Tree Cobra, Psuedohaje goldii
• Shield-Nosed Cobra, Aspidelaps lubricus lubricus
• King Cobra, Ophiophagus hannah
• False Cobra, Malpolon moilensis

Binomial name Ophiophagus hannah (Cantor, 1836) The king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) is the longest of the venomous snakes, growing up to 18 feet (5. ... The false cobra (Malpolon moilensis ) is a mildly toxic snake found in parts of Asia. ...

Trivia

The archaic term asp was used to describe many venomous snakes and the asp said to have been used by Cleopatra VII to commit suicide may have been an Egyptian cobra. Cleopatra Cleopatra VII Philopator (December, 70 BC or January, 69 BC–August 12?, 30 BC) was queen of ancient Egypt. ...

External links

• Integrated Taxonomic Information System Serpentes