Fangs are very short, located in the front of the mouth, with a groove attached to them, which can secrete venom. Cobra venom usually contains neurotoxins, which can destroy the nervous system of prey. Cobra mainly feeds on small vertebrates and other snakes.

Cobras rely on nerve venom to kill their prey. Neurovenom can block neuromuscular conduction, leading to muscle paralysis and death.

The bite of cobra (especially larger species) can be fatal, depending on the amount of venom injected, and the neurotoxin in the venom will affect breathing; Although antivenom is effective, it must be injected as soon as possible after being bitten. In South and Southeast Asia, thousands of related deaths occur every year.

The natural enemies of the cobra are the grey mongoose and some raptors: the mongoose will directly bite the cobra's head when winning by speed, but the cobra will also bite the mongoose during the fight, so the mongoose can detoxify itself and wake up after fainting for several hours, but a small part will be swallowed by the cobra.

The bite of cobra (especially the larger species) can be fatal, depending on the amount of venom injected. The neurotoxin in the venom can affect breathing and requires immediate professional treatment. Although antivenom is effective, it must be injected as soon as possible after being bitten. In South and Southeast Asia, thousands of related deaths occur every year.

Toxic component

The toxin is a toxic protein-cobratoxin with a molecular weight of 6949. Cardiotoxin and phospholipase A.

Poisoning symptom folding

Early symptoms include ptosis, diplopia, dysphagia, dizziness, vomiting, and then respiratory muscle paralysis.

Poison protein-cobra venom acts on striated muscles innervated by motor nerves, making them twitch and paralyze, just like curare. At the same time, cardiotoxin has cytotoxicity. In animal experiments, it can stop the contraction of smooth muscle and myocardium, lower blood pressure, destroy local tissues and cause cell necrosis and local swelling and pain. In addition, phospholipase A is rich in phospholipase, which can decompose phospholipase and cause indirect hemolysis.

processing method

The general treatment of cobra bite is to use antivenom, which may require artificial ventilation (such as tracheal intubation) until the venom degrades and the patient can breathe spontaneously. If the treatment fails, the patient will die more than 6- 12 hours after the bite. The main causes of death are respiratory paralysis (such as diaphragm paralysis) and asphyxia.