Quite often you can hear the expression: "Cobra - the queen of snakes." However, this "title" is worn by other snakes. The representatives of the squamous reptile class who have such a prefix in the name, their characteristics and lifestyle, as well as the Snake Queen from the legend will be described in the article.
Snake from the legend
Among the people there is a legend about an unusual snake. She is the Serpent Queen, has intelligence, and on her head is a crown of gold. What is this mythical creature? They say about her that she lives in places where there are few people. But at the same time, she appears before those who are the “chosen ones”. Reptile is testing these people. Those who pass the test receive an award that is more valuable than gold.
In the summer, in the forest, snakes surround their queen, guarding her. Anyone who meets this congregation of cold-blooded, not scared and tore the crown from the queen, will also be rewarded. All the castles of the world will open to him, and any of his desires will be fulfilled.
If we talk about folklore, then there is also a fan fiction “Queen of Snakes”, which is based on the anime “Naruto”. It is dedicated to the romantic relationship between a woman and a man. This genre is an amateur composition created based on original popular works - literary, films, mangoes and anime.
Next, we will talk about real snakes called queens.
Cobra
The King Cobra, also called the Hamadriad, is the largest poisonous snake on the planet. There is a misconception that the king cobra snake is the most poisonous representative of this species. However, this is not so, the most poisonous snake is Taipan McCoy, whose poison is 180 times stronger than that of the royal cobra.
Representatives of this species, growing, can reach a length of about 5.5 m, and average sizes range from 3 to 4 m. It is worth mentioning that the largest king cobra was caught on the Malaysian Peninsula in 1937. It reached a size of 5.71 m. The reptile was sent to the London Zoo, where it surprised visitors with its length.
Lifestyle & Habitat
The king snake mainly lives in tropical forests in the South and Southeast Asia, as well as in the Philippines, Indonesia, India and Pakistan. The cobra grows throughout its life, the period of which, on average, is about 30 years.
These snakes prefer to hide in burrows, caves, and also find convenient places in the crowns of trees. Some individuals prefer to live in a strictly delimited territory, while others constantly change their location. At the same time, the latter move several tens of kilometers. Scientists managed to establish this using radio beacons implanted under the skin of snakes.
Behavior
Royal snakes (cobras) have the ability to raise their head vertically to a third of their body. It is amazing that they can even move in such an unusual position for the rest of the snakes. If two king cobras meet each other, then they will certainly take this position. Moreover, each of them is trying to rise above the other, showing its dominant position. If one snake touches the upper part of the head of another, then the snake touched immediately creeps away, recognizing the supremacy of the other individual.
Often cobras settle near a person’s housing. This is due to the fact that agricultural production is increasing significantly, while significantly reducing tropical forests, and, consequently, the habitat of king cobra. Because of this, humans and snakes collide quite often.
Nutrition and Poison
Neighborhood of a snake with a person is not only a threat to be caught or killed by him, but also a good food base. Where there are crops of various cultures, as well as in the area of human habitation, a huge number of small and medium rodents are found. It is they who make up the diet for this snake.
Occasionally, a cobra also preys on small monitor lizards: after the cobra venom acts on the victim, it swallows it and in the future may not eat for about three weeks. In the case when the female laid eggs and protects them, the individual may not eat for about three months.
An interesting fact is that the king cobra can control the amount of poison that it injects into its victim. Poison is an extremely valuable resource for a snake, and it tries not to use it in vain. This is due to the fact that poison is the main element in the hunt for the victim. In other words, a cobra cannot survive without it.
Snake Queen - Anaconda
She received such a title, first of all, for her size. This is a subfamily of boas, found in nature in the form of an ordinary, green and giant anaconda. It was the latter that received the “title” of the royal.
This is the largest snake found in the modern world fauna. Its main color varies from grayish green to light black with a gray tint. In this case, the pattern alternates in a checkerboard pattern. The sides of the snake are painted with dark yellow spots that surround the black rings. Such a coloring quite effectively helps the anaconda to hide both on land and in water.
