the.com/cobra
a snake with a built-in hood, mood lighting, and a flair for the dramatic
means a venomous snake, found mainly in Africa and Asia, that flares the loose skin of its neck into a wide hood when threatened or about to strike.
from From Portuguese *cobra de capelo*, literally "snake with a hood," the name Portuguese traders and sailors brought back from their voyages east. The *cobra* part traces to Latin *colubra*, simply "snake" — and *capelo*, "hood" or "cloak," gives us the famous flare. English clipped the whole phrase down to just *cobra*, keeping the serpent but quietly dropping the hood from the name even as the snake kept wearing it.
- Spit range
- Some species spray venom over six feet accurately
- Cannibal streak
- King cobras mostly eat other snakes
- Hood trick
- The hood is flared ribs, not muscle
- Charmer myth
- Cobras follow the flute's motion, not its sound
- Snake royalty
- King cobra builds nests, rare among serpents
king cobra — world's longest venomous snake, up to 11 feet, found in southeast asia
indian cobra — the 'naja naja' species used by snake charmers in india for centuries
monocled cobra — southeast asian species with distinctive eye-like marking on hood, highly venomous