There are about 40 species in the entire cobra family. They are mainly distributed in Asia and Africa, especially in Asia. In the African continent, there are mainly Egyptian cobra , Mozambique poisonous cobra, forest cobra , South African cobra, golden cobra and so on. There are more species living in Asia, such as: Zhoushan cobra , Philippine cobra , Bangladesh cobra , Indian cobra , Thai cobra , etc. The more well-known cobras in our country are mainly Zhoushan cobras, Bengal cobras, Thai cobras and Indian cobras. However, many people cannot distinguish the differences between these cobras. Here are the differences of several cobras.
The reason why cobras are called cobras is because their necks swell, they will have an eye-like pattern on their backs. Many scientists believe that the reason why cobras evolved this pattern is why they protect themselves. When the cobras expand their necks, they will block their backs at the same time. His vision and the pattern of the eyes evolved to confuse the sneak attacker behind him. This eye pattern not only evolved from cobras, but also some butterflies, such as: , peacock butterfly and beautiful eye butterfly. Humans have also used this method to avoid beasts. Natives living in Amazon rainforest like to wear a mask behind their heads to deceive jaguar. Jaguars like to attack humans behind, wearing this mask can be used in Deterred them to a certain extent.
peacock butterfly
beautiful eye butterfly
Thai cobra
Thai cobra is also known as Siamese cobra or Indochina cobra,From their names, we can know that they are mainly distributed in Indochina Peninsula , and they are distributed in Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Malaysia. Thai cobra is a kind of poisonous cobra , sprayed with their venom in the eyes can cause blindness. Thai cobras generally have a body length of about 0.9-1.m. Their body colors are mainly gray, black and brown. The eye pattern on the back is very similar to the Bengal cobra. The pattern on the back of the Thai cobra is a black dot in the white circle. At the same time, Thailand Cobras are more toxic than Zhoushan cobras, Bengal cobras and Indian cobras.
Zhoushan cobra
Zhoushan cobra is mainly distributed in China, Laos and northern Vietnam, mainly in southern China, in my country's Fujian, Zhejiang, Taiwan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Guizhou, Hunan , Yunnan, Anhui, Chongqing, Hubei, Jiangxi and other provinces. Zhoushan cobras can spray poison like Thai cobras, and being sprayed with their venom can cause blindness. The body color of Zhoushan Cobra is mainly dark brown, and the eye pattern on their back is a pattern resembling a pair of glasses. This type of cobra is generally about 1.5 meters to 2 meters long, and is considered a large species in the cobra family.
Bengal Cobra
Bengal Cobra is mainly distributed in Indian subcontinent and Indochina Peninsula. They are distributed in northeastern India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, Vietnam and Cambodia. They are mainly distributed in Guangxi, Yunnan, Sichuan Panzhihua and other regions in my country, and they are mainly distributed in the southwestern region of China. The Bengal Cobra is also a kind of poisonous cobra. Their body color is mainly brown, and their body length is about 1.5 meters to 2 meters. The eye pattern on the back of Bengal is a single circle. Many years ago, the scientific community has regarded the Bengal cobra as a subspecies of the Indian cobra.It was not separated as a separate species until 1997.
Indian cobra
Indian cobra is mainly distributed in the South Asian subcontinent, mainly in India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bhutan , Nepal and Bangladesh. The body length of this cobra is about 1.4-1.6 meters. The longest Indian cobra lives in Sri Lanka, and the longest is about 1.8 meters. The body colors of Indian cobras are more complex, mainly brown, black, gray, and olive green. There are also some Indian cobras that are mixed with each other. The most important sign of a cobra is that the eye pattern on the back is a pattern that resembles a smiling face.
The difference between Zhoushan cobra, Bengal cobra and Indian cobra
1. Back pattern
When the Zhoushan cobra expands, the back pattern will show a pattern similar to binoculars, while in Bangladesh The cobra is a one-eyed pattern, and the Indian cobra pattern is even more weird. Their pattern is particularly like a smiling face.
Zhoushan Cobra
Bengal Cobra
Indian Cobra
2. Distribution range
There are also a small number of Cobras distributed in the northern part of Vietnam and Cambodia. . Indian cobras are mainly distributed in South Asia, mainly in countries such as India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bhutan and Nepal. The Bengal cobra is the most widely distributed cobra, which is distributed from northeastern India to the Indochina Peninsula, and also in southwestern my country. Mixed cobras often appear in areas where the distribution ranges of the three cobras intersect.
3. Body color
Zhoushan cobras are mainly black, Bengal cobras are mainly brown-black and tan, and Indian cobras are the most complex color, which may not necessarily be pure colors. It is also possible to hybridize together in various colors.
Although all cobras are cobras, the venom strength of various cobras is very different. Even if it is the same cobra, different distribution ranges can lead to different toxicity. The venom toxicity of the Indian cobra in southern India is obviously different from that of the Indian cobra in northern India, not to mention the Indian cobra living in Sri Lanka. Generally speaking, the toxicity of cobras living in food-poor areas is much stronger than that of cobras living in areas with abundant food sources.
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