Cobras

=Cobras= Cobras live in southern Africa, southern Asia, and some islands in South-east Asia.

__King Cobras__ live on the rainforest floor in India and in South-east Asia..

King Cobras are the longest venomous snakes in the world. They grow up to 5 metres, and can weigh up to 75 kilograms.

A King cobra has scales on its bodies, small beady eyes, a hood made of skin on its upper body and a forked tongue. It can see a long distance, up to 100 metres away, and it can also feel the vibrations of other animals moving on the ground.

They eat other snakes, birds and small mammals, but they are also eaten by other animals such as other snakes, birds of prey, lizards, rats and small mammals like mongooses. After a large meal, the King Cobra does not need to eat again for months.

King Cobras are very dangerous during the breeding season when the females defend their nests. When angry or hunting, it raises its body up high and flare its hood to scare its prey. They attack other snakes and use the venom in their fangs to kill. It is easy for them to kill other snakes because they are so big, and their venom is so strong it can kill a human in minutes. It hunts in the daytime, not at night.

References: Wikipedia [], and Dangerous Creatures of the Rainforst by Helen Bateman and Jayne Denshire, Macmillan 2005