cobra

The Indian cobra feeds on rodents, lizards, and frogs. As well as biting, the Indian cobra can defend itself by spitting venom through its fangs. The venom, reaching a distance of 2 m/6.5 ft, causes severe pain and damage if it enters the eyes of prey.

The Indian cobra often lives in cultivated areas such as rice fields where, if disturbed, it may bite or spit venom at a perceived attacker. The powerful neurotoxins contained in cobra venom cause paralysis and respiratory failure. The cobra feeds on rodents, lizards, and frogs.

Any of several poisonous snakes, especially the genus Naja, of the family Elapidae, found in Africa and southern Asia, species of which can grow from 1 m/3 ft to over 4.3 m/14 ft. The neck stretches into a hood when the snake is alarmed. Cobra venom contains nerve toxins powerful enough to kill humans.

The Indian cobra Naja naja is about 1.5 m/5 ft long, and found over most of southern Asia. Some individuals have ‘spectacle’ markings on the hood. The hamadryad N. hannah of southern and southeast Asia can be 4.3 m/14 ft or more, and eats snakes. The ringhals Hemachatus hemachatus of South Africa and the black-necked cobra N. nigricollis, of the African savannah are both about 1 m/3 ft long. Both are able to spray venom towards the eyes of an attacker. A species of cobra, Naja manadalayensis, was identified in Myanmar in 2000. It is a ‘spitting’ cobra (able to project its venom). This makes a total of four African species and six Asian.

Cobra

Group of European expressionist painters formed by the Dutch artist Karel Appel 1948. Other leading members were the Dane Asger Jorn (1914–1973) and the Belgian-born painters Corneille (1922– ) and Pierre Alechinsky (1927– ). Stongly influenced by the art of both children and the insane, the group developed an expressive and dynamic form of abstract painting, using thick, heavily worked paint and strong colours.