Would You Like to Meet a Cobra

WELL, would you? Most adults may answer no.first country to use antivenin extensively.
But not a child. Fear of snakes, including the cobra,Antivenin powder is effective for five years
is not an instinctive trait in young children or evenwithout refrigeration; reconstituted it is injected.
in animals. Aversion to snakes can be caused bySymptoms of cobra bite are pain and swelling at
information that is not reliable, exaggeratedthe site, blurred vision, unsteadiness, paralysis of
stories, myths, and misconceptions.the larynx, and slowing respiration. Death ensues
Of course, when we invite you to meet a cobra,in about two hours if a large dose of venom has
we mean at a safe distance! Cobras are highlybeen injected and no treatment is given.
venomous, and we would not want to go up toThe Snake Charmer
one and hold out our hand to stroke it. Nor wouldSnake charming is a very old form of
the cobra be likely to wait around to greet us; onentertainment. Practiced mostly in the East, some
hearing our approach, it would beat a hastyWestern circuses have incorporated this into their
retreat to a safe hiding place. So let us berepertoire. Because of its unusual hood and
satisfied to meet the cobra just by learning somenervous disposition, the spectacled cobra is the
fascinating facts about this interesting creature.most popular snake used, but other
Cobras are reptiles of the suborder Serpentesimpressive-looking snakes, like the royal snake and
and the family Elapidae, a name given tothe red sand boa, are also used. As the charmer,
venomous snakes with grooved fangs. There area skilled showman, plays his pipes, the cobra rises
about 12 species of cobras scattered fromfrom its basket and spreads its hood into its
Australia through the tropics of Asia and Africa tonormal defensive position. Movements by the
Arabia and the Temperate Zones. By far thesnake charmer cause a reaction in the snake as it
most fearsome of the cobras is the king cobra,keeps an eye on him, always being ready to
or hamadryad. With a length of 9 to 18 feet [3 toattack. Most cobras used by snake charmers
5 m], this is the largest poisonous snake in thehave their fangs removed, but some men risk
world. Preferring the dense undergrowth of jungleworking with venomous snakes.
or swamp, where rainfall is copious, it can beIn ancient India the itinerant snake charmer was
found in southern China, the Philippines, Indonesia,also a relater of religious ideas and myths, which
Malaysia, Myanmar, and parts of India. A jet-blackgave him popular appeal. Today it is more
tail, bands of color on a greenish-yellow body,lucrative to have a performance outside hotels
which turns to dark olive with age, and groups offrequented by camera-happy tourists. Some
small spots on its hood make it look quitesnake charmers visit homes and inform the
beautiful.householder that his large garden is a likely spot
Other species of cobra average from three to sixfor snakes. For an agreed sum, he offers to
feet [1 to 2 m] in length. Indigenous to India andcatch them. He disappears into the bushes, and
widely distributed there, is the spectacled cobraafter some time, during which the sound of his
with unique markings on its hood, which resemblepipes can be heard, he returns with a bagful of
a pair of spectacles. It can be black, dark brown,snakes. Of course, the householder would have
or yellowish-white with a wide, dark neckband andbeen wise to supervise him or at least to check
speckled white and yellow bands on the length ofwhether he brought a bag of snakes with him!
its body. The monocled cobra, found in Sri LankaSnake Parks Educate
as well as in eastern and northeastern India, isSnake parks encourage interest in reptiles. They
lighter with a smaller, more round hood having asponsor research, educate on snakebite
single white circle, which gives it its name. Inprevention and cure, and work for the protection
northwest India and in Pakistan, we find aof snakes from man's greed and ignorance.
jet-black cobra. Africa has, among others, theCobras have been killed for their beautiful skins,
ringhals, or the spitting cobra, and the Egyptianwhich are made into belts, purses, shoes, and
cobra. The latter, a dark and narrow-hoodedother luxury items. In one year more than ten
snake, is possibly the asp to which the death ofmillion snakes were killed in India for the skin
Queen Cleopatra is attributed.industry. Snakes are killed and then skinned
Snakes mate only with their own species, beingimmediately. Vegetable dyes are used in India to
attracted by a unique musk odor. The cobragive the skin color, and it is glass-polished and
shows more family interest than other snakes,sometimes sprayed with lacquer to make it shiny
male and female often remaining together. Theand water-repellent.
female king cobra is one of the few snakesThe value of the cobra cannot be overestimated.
known to make a nest. She scrapes leaves into aIt saves tons of grain by killing rats and other
mound about one foot [30 cm] high and depositsvermin. Its venom provides antivenins, painkillers,
20 to 50 eggs in it. She then coils her bodyand other medicines. The Tata Memorial Cancer
around the mound and remains there, withoutInstitute in Bombay is studying the effect of
food, for the almost two months of incubation,cobra venom on cancer cells.
the male often staying close too. Other cobras,Have you enjoyed meeting the cobra? Beautiful,
without preparing a nest, remain near their eggsuseful, cautious, well-equipped to defend itself.
to protect them.Getting to know it better can help us to
The baby snakes use an egg tooth, which laterappreciate a much-maligned member of the
falls off, to slit the shell and release themselves.animal kingdom.
On emerging they are totally independent withCobra Worship and Superstition
fully-formed venom glands and fangs. They flickCOBRA worship has existed from ancient times.
out their tongues frequently, taste theThe cobra motif has been found on seals at
surroundings, and transfer chemical information toMohenjo-Daro, one of the oldest civilizations to be
what is called the Jacobson's organ in the roof ofunearthed by archaeologists. From the third
the mouth. This is linked to the sense of smell;millennium B.C.E. down to today, millions in India
the combination of taste and smell helps thehave viewed cobras with superstitious reverence.
snake to track its prey, find a mate, or escapeInterestingly, many of the cobra stories can be
predators.recognized as distorted myths built around actual
The young snake grows rapidly and within a shorthistorical happenings.
time sheds its outer skin, which has become tooA creation "story" tells of a time when there was
tight. This unusual phenomenon is repeatedno light in the universe. From dark cosmic waters
regularly, since the cobra keeps growingthe brilliant god Vishnu was created first, then
throughout its life, which can be over 20 years.heaven, earth, and the underworld. From the
For one or two weeks before the molt, theleftover material, a gigantic cobra called Shesha
snake becomes lethargic, its skin becomes dull,(meaning remaining part) was created. Myth
and its eyes turn milky-blue. Then, suddenly, thecredits Shesha with from 5 to 1,000 heads, and
eyes clear, and by rubbing its head on stones, theimages depict Vishnu reclining on the coiled
snake splits the old skin at its mouth. Now itShesha, sheltered by the open hoods of Shesha's
literally crawls out of its skin as this peels offmany heads. Earthquakes are attributed to
inside out, from the transparent cap over theShesha's yawn, and fire from his mouth or his
eyes right down to the tail. Now a lively, shiny,venom destroys the world at the end of an age.
new-looking snake is ready to go about its normalHindu mythology depicts a cobra-race called
activity.Nagas, who inhabit the underworld, Nagalok or
Air temperature greatly affects cobras. As thePatala. The ape-god Hanuman claims that in the
weather cools, they slow down and even become"Perfect Age," all men were saintly, there was
dormant, only stirring when the temperature rises.only one religion, and there were no demons or
Too much heat can kill them. Except for the kingNagas. The serpents became the guardians of the
cobra, which feeds on snakes, their diet is rats,earth's wealth and possessed great knowledge
mice, frogs, lizards, birds, and other small animals.and magical powers. Shesha, sometimes also
After the prey is caught, an injection of venomcalled Vasuki, was used by the gods to churn a
immobilizes it. It is ingested whole, as the cobra issea of milk to produce amrit, a nectar that would
not equipped to chew food. The elasticity of thegive immortality. The underworld, ruled by the
skin and the flexibility of the jaw allow the cobraNagas, is portrayed as a most desirable place;
to swallow an animal that is two or three timeswarriors who die in battle are promised
larger than its own head. While the mouth isunimaginable pleasures there.
totally blocked by the victim, the snake breathesHowever, not all mythical cobras are considered
by drawing the entrance to the windpipe forwardbenign. One "story" relates an encounter between
beyond the obstruction, just as a swimmer usesKrishna, an incarnation of Vishnu, and Kaliya, a
a snorkel. Now rows of backward-curving teethgreat, malignant demon-cobra. Images show the
move the prey along into the snake's body. Itvictorious Krishna with his foot on the head of the
retires to a quiet place to digest the food slowly,great serpent.
perhaps not eating again for several days. TheManasa, or Durgamma, queen of the Nagas, is
cobra can live for months without eating, drawingworshiped by women to protect their children
on stored fat in its body.from snakebite. On the festival of Nagapanchami,
Snakes are cautious. (See Matthew 10:16.) Thesnake devotees pour milk and even blood on
cobra's defense lies either in escape, perhapsimages of cobras and down snake holes. Stone or
crawling under a rock or into its rat-hole home, orsilver images of cobras are worshiped and
in stillness, thereby avoiding detection. Confronted,offered at temples by women hoping to conceive
it will rear up and spread its hood, hissing toa male child.
frighten the enemy. Biting is a last resort.The Cobra in Films
SnakebiteThe cobra of mythology is a very popular theme
Snakebite in rural Africa and Asia often goesin films made in India more than 40 having been
unreported, but worldwide it appears that aboutproduced since 1928. Usually the cobra is depicted
one million people are bitten each year byas a guardian of goodness, a helper of its
venomous snakes. India holds the record fordevotees, and a destroyer of the wicked. Popular
fatalities around 10,000 a year perhaps theis the myth of the Icchadari cobras, which are
majority being from the spectacled cobra. Aboutsaid to have the power to take human form.
10 percent of cobra bites prove fatal.They are said to have one devoted mate. If the
The cobra is slower than many snakes; the agilemate is killed, the cobra is able to see the image
mongoose, one of its main enemies, canof the killer in the dead snake's eyes, and it sets
outmaneuver it. Leaping at the snake, thenoff on a trail of revenge. This becomes a lively
dodging the attacking strike repeatedly, thebase for many films. Dominating the story are the
mongoose leaves the cobra unnerved andsnake dances; with music like that of the snake
hesitant. Attacking behind the hood, he breaks itscharmer, the dancers imitate the movement of
neck. Many snakes strike from a coiled position,the snake, even slithering on the ground.
making it hard to know their reach, but the cobraA documentary movie, Shakti, was filmed at a
raises its body and strikes straight down. Thefestival in Rajasthan, India, where every August
distance can be judged, and a person can get outhundreds of thousands of snake worshipers meet
of range of the relatively slow movement.in the desert. Under a burning sun and in
Some cobras, like the ringhals, the black-neckedtemperatures reaching over 122 degrees
cobra of South Africa, and cobras in northeasternFahrenheit [50°C.], they flagellate themselves
India, defend themselves by spitting. Rearing upwith iron rods and crawl on their stomachs more
and pointing its fangs at the victim, the snake,than a mile [2 km] on the scorching sand to the
with expelled air, can shoot out two fine spraystemple of a snake-god, Gogha. A historical king in
of venom more than six feet [2 m]. On the skinthe tenth century C.E., Gogha is said to have
this does no damage, but if it enters the eyes, itsaved his people from Muslim invaders by leading
can cause temporary blindness and, if not washedthe enemy into a snake-infested area, where the
out quickly, permanent blindness. Strangely, thearmy was decimated by snakebites.
snake seems to be able to aim at the eyes.Saved by the Cobra
Suppose a cobra does bite you, what should youTwo families in Sastur village in India have reason
do? Venom is pressed out of the poison sacs into be grateful to a cobra. They were wakened
the snake's cheeks through two short, hollow,about 3:50 a.m. on September 30, 1993, by the
fixed fangs in the front of the snake's jaws.loud hissing of a cobra as it slithered out of their
These fangs puncture the skin and inject thehouse. They chased it into the fields to kill it. At
venom the way a hypodermic syringe would. The4:00 a.m., the horrendous earthquake in central
only sure remedy for snakebite is antiveninIndia flattened their village killing almost everyone.
prepared from the venom of four poisonousThe two families survived thanks to the
snakes. In the early 20th century, India was theearly-warning system of the cobra!