Taiwan cobra
The Chinese cobra (Naja atra ), also called the Taiwan cobra, is a species of cobra in the family Elapidae, found mostly in southern China and a couple of neighboring nations and islands. It is one of the most prevalent venomous snakes in China and Taiwan, which has caused many snakebite incidents to humans.
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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NocturnalNocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal",...
Crepuscular animals are those that are active primarily during twilight (that is, the periods of dawn and dusk). This is distinguished from diurnal...
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CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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PredatorPredators are animals that kill and eat other organisms, their prey. Predators may actively search for or pursue prey or wait for it, often conceal...
Oviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
Precocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
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DangerousDangerous animals demonstrate aggression and a propensity to attack or harass people or other animals without provocation.
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VenomousVenom is a type of poison, especially one secreted by an animal. It is delivered in a bite, sting, or similar action. Venom has evolved in terrestr...
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SolitaryNo
Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withThe Chinese cobra is one of the most prevalent venomous snakes in China and Taiwan, which has caused many snakebite incidents to humans. It is iridescent black with a number of distant transversal double lines of a yellow color. The abdominal surface is pearl or slaty colored. The dorsal color of the Chinese cobra is usually brown, grey, or black, with or without narrow, light transverse lines at irregular intervals which are especially prominent in juveniles. The upper head is usually the same color as the tail and dorsal part of the body, while the sides of the head are lighter in color. Specimens with other colors on their dorsal surface, such as white, yellow, or brown do occur. There may be irregular or scattered crosslines of white to light gray along the upper body and a spectacle marking on the hood. The ventral head and neck are white to light gray or light orange in color. There is some variation in the color of the ventral body and tail: it could be white to gray, dark gray mottled with white, or blackish. This is a heavy-bodied snake, the body is slightly flattened, and may be significantly flattened when threatened, and it has a short tail. The nostrils of this species are large and prominent. The eyes are medium-sized and the iris is a dark dirty yellow dappled with gray-black or blue-black and the pupil is round and jet black.
Chinese cobras are found in southeastern China (including the provinces of Sichuan, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hunan, Hubei, Zhejiang, and the Island province of Hainan), Hong Kong, northern Laos, northern Vietnam, and Taiwan. These snakes typically occur in woodlands, shrublands, grasslands, and mangroves. They are adaptable to a wide range of terrain including grassland plains, jungle, open fields, and even heavily populated regions. Chinese cobras can be found in rice paddy fields in maritime lowlands to various types of montane forests, though they avoid dark forests with a closed canopy. In the primary monsoon season and rain forests, they inhabit clearings and riverbanks.
Chinese cobras are active during both the day and night. They live on their own and usually hide under leaves, sticks, and rocks. Hunting is typically done during all daylight periods and as late as 2-3 hours after sunset from March to October. Chinese cobras are very alert; they are seldom cornered, but if confronted will raise the forebody and spread their hood and strike readily if necessary. Adults can be very aggressive, but younger individuals tend to be more aggressive as they are more nervous about the things surrounding them. These highly venomous snakes usually escape avoiding confrontation with humans. Although this is not a spitting cobra, some individuals (mostly specimens from Guizhou Province) are capable of ejecting venom towards a threat within a distance of 2 meters (6.6 ft).
The Chinese cobra is a highly venomous member of the true cobras (genus Naja ). Its venom consists mainly of postsynaptic neurotoxins and cardiotoxins. Four cardiotoxin-analogues I, II, III, and IV, account for about 54% of the dry weight of the crude venom and have cytotoxic properties.
The murine LD50 values of its venom are 0.29 mg/kg IV and 0.53 mg/kg—0.67 mg/kg SC. The average venom yield from a snake of this species kept at a snake farm was about 250.8 mg (80 mg dry weight). According to Minton (1974), this cobra has a venom yield range of 150 to 200 mg (dry weight). Brown listed a venom yield of 184 mg (dry weight).
Although this is not a spitting cobra, some individuals (mostly specimens from Guizhou Province) are capable of ejecting venom towards a threat within a distance of 2 metres (6.6 ft). In Taiwan there were 593 recorded cases of envenomation by the Chinese cobra from 1904 to 1938; of those, 87 cases were fatal, which is a 15% mortality rate. This is higher than mortality rates for Naja naja (the Indian cobra).
Local symptoms in victims caused by a Chinese cobra bite are wound darkening, localized redness and swelling, pain, insensibility, and invariably blisters and necrosis. Necrosis is a serious problem in cases of cobra bite as it may persist for many years after the general recovery of the victim. The following systemic symptoms may also occur: chest discomfort, fever, sore throat, difficulty in swallowing, loss of voice, weak feeling in limbs, walking haltingly, general ache, lockjaw, and difficulty in breathing. Fatality occasionally occurs. The antivenom is widely available and deaths are much rarer than they used to be.
Chinese cobras are carnivores and have a widely varied diet. They mainly prey on rodents, frogs, toads, fish, and other snakes. Juveniles eat mostly amphibians, whereas adults usually prefer reptiles and mammals. However, during amphibian breeding periods, adult cobras eat mostly frogs or toads.
Chinese cobras are oviparous or egg-laying snakes. Mating and egg-laying periods are very extended. In the mountains of the western Tonkin region of Vietnam, their breeding season occurs in the months of March through May. Females typically lay 6 to 23 eggs sometime between May to the end of July and guard them during the incubation period which lasts for 2 months.
Despite being common throughout its native range, populations of the Chinese cobra are decline mainly due to habitat loss, heavy hunting, and pollution.
The IUCN Red List and other sources don’t provide the number of the Chinese cobra total population size. Currently, this species is classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are decreasing.
