Snouted Cobra (Naja annulifera)
The
normal snouted cobra (Naja annulifera
annulifera) is one of the most kept African cobra species, even when many
snake keepers think that they keep the Egyptian Cobra (Naja
haje haje) is it most of the time the Snouted Cobra.
Length:
Naja
annulifera annulifera;
The average adult size of this cobra is 150 – 220 cm, maximum 250 cm, males
are usually bigger than females.
Naja
annulifera anchietae;
The average adult size of this cobra is 130 – 190 cm, maximum 230 cm,
males are usually bigger than females.
Zoological
Description:
Naja
annulifera annulifera;
The head is large
and depressed and slightly distinct from the neck. The neck from the Snouted
cobra is dilatable like all other species of the Naja
complex. The dilatable neck or also called hood can be 12 -16 cm wide. The
snout of the Snouted cobra is just like the head moderately broad, but pointed.
The eyes are quit big with a round pupil. The body of the Snouted cobra is
cylindrical and stout with a long tail.
In
color are these cobras been found in many different varieties. Juveniles have a
yellowish or greenish color, the scale often show a dark edging which looks like
a speckled patron, in the neck do they have a broad dark band, the ventral side
is usually yellow from color. Adults are mostly grey, brown, reddish-brown or
black from color, but we also know a banded color phase which usually caries 6
– 9 bands on the body and 2 – 3 on the tail, these snakes have broad black
and white cross bands around the body. The ventral side can be yellow or grey
from color and can have speckles or a mottled patron. On the throat they have a
broad dark band.
.
Naja
annulifera anchietae;
This subspecies is in morphology similar to Naja
annulifera annulifera. The
head is large and depressed and slightly distinct from the neck. The neck from
the Snouted cobra is dilatable like all other species of the Naja
complex. The dilatable neck or also called hood can be 12 -16 cm wide. The
snout of the Snouted cobra is just like the head moderately broad, but pointed.
The eyes are quit big with a round pupil. The body of the Snouted cobra is
cylindrical and stout with a long tail. In color is this subspecies of the
Snouted Cobra quite similar to the Naja
annulifera annulifera except that this subspecies can also been found in
light yellow and orange. They never seem to become black.
Scalation
Naja annulifera annulifera:
-
Dorsal scales
on the midbody 19 (21)
-
Ventral scales
175 - 203
-
Sub caudal
scale is Paired
-
Sub caudal
scales 51 - 65
-
Anal plate is
Single
-
Upper labials
7 (8)
-
Upper labials
to the eye 0
-
Preoculairs 1
(2)
-
Postoculairs 2
(1 or 3)
-
Lower labials
8 or 9 (10)
-
Temporal 1+2,
1+3 Variable
Scalation
Naja annulifera anchietae:
-
Dorsal scales
on the midbody 17
-
Ventral scales
179 - 200
-
Sub caudal
scale is Paired
-
Sub caudal
scales 51 - 56
-
Anal plate is
Single
-
Upper labials
7 (8)
-
Upper labials
to the eye 0
-
Preoculairs 1
-
Postoculairs 2
-
Lower labials
8 or 9 (10)
-
Temporal 1+2,
1+3 Variable
Geographic
Range Naja annulifera annulifera:
Geographic
Range Naja annulifera anchietae:
Habitat:
Snouted
cobra inhabiting savanna grasslands, semi desserts, rocky areas but is also
often found nearby humans in gardens and under houses. They will enter poultry
runs. Snouted cobras will often occupy a permanent home in termite mounds, holes
in rocks, hollow trees, and under dense vegetation. Snouted cobras are nocturnal
but can be found basking on a rock close to there residence in the early
morning. The snouted cobra is not a aggressive species but when cornered it will
stand his ground by spreading his hood, while hissing load, when further
provoked it will strike fast.
Behaviour
in Captivity:
Snouted cobras
can be very pleasant animals in captivity. They often calm down fairly easy but
some will stay easy to irritate. When housed in a large enclosure will they show
a nice active behaviour. Snouted cobras that are housed to small will rub there
noses continuously in the corners of there enclosure which will damage there
rostral scale. Even when they are nocturnal will they show there self in daytime
basking under a spot. Snouted cobras are curious animals that spend many hours
of investigate there enclosure and with digging in the substrate. When coming
close to there enclosure will they watch carefully any movement. Snouted cobras
can be best handled on the tailing method while supporting there body on a
snakehook.
Feeding:
In nature
feeds the Snouted cobra mainly on toads, but they will also eat small mammals,
birds their eggs, reptiles including other snakes. Some wild caught specimens
even ate puff adders (Bitis arietans),
they will often enter gardens to search for food in chicken runs and under trash
piles. My snouted cobras are fed with dead and live rodents and chicks. Dead
prey items will be offered out of a long tweezer and will be taken slowly. When
fed alive they will hunt there prey down and will bite them several times. I
only feed my snakes live food in a bin.
Breeding
Snouted Cobras:
Snouted Cobras
are Oviparous and laying 8 – 34 eggs.The eggs measure a size of 46 – 55 mm X
24 – 32 mm). Snouted Cobras are easy to breed cobras when provided a large and
wel setup enclosure. The animals in my collection mate in late spring or early
summer (May, June) after a gestation period of 2 months do the females lay there
eggs in special laying boxes placed in the enclosure. Mating can take a few
minutes to several hours. I don’t give my Snouted Cobras a hibernation period,
but in winter time will the average room temperature drop some degrees and the
animals will not get as much food as in the warmer months. The eggs are placed
in a dry incubator on sterilized sand. The temperature in the incubator varies
between 27 -
300C with a humidity level around 80% which can be adjust by spraying
water. After about 65 – 90 days the eggs will hatch, hatchlings measure a size
of 22 – 35 cm in length. The hatchlings will shed for the first time after 8
– 12 days. After there first shedding food will be offered. I feed my juvenile
Snouted Cobras with baby mice, which most of them will accept the first time,
hatchlings that not eat will be force fed till they start eating on there own.
The hatchlings are kept separate in plastic boxes till they reach a size of
around 70 cm.
The
enclosure:
I currently
keep two breeding pairs of Snouted cobras. The biggest pair is housed in a
enclosure of 200 x 50 x 60 cm (length x wide x height), the other pair is housed
in a smaller enclosure that measures a size of 150 x 50 x 50 cm (length x wide x
height). Both enclosures are heated by floor heating and a basking spot the
average temperature in the enclosures is 25 - 280C and directly under
the spotlight 34 - 380C in daytime. At night the temperature will
drop a few degrees Celsius. The humidity is around 60%.
As
substrate I use a mixture of river sand and peat. As decoration I use Elephant
trunk trees, rocks and some plastic plants. In both enclosures is a big 5 litre
water bowl that is surprisingly used quit often for batting. The enclosures are
build from chip-wood and can be opened by 6 mm glass sliding doors that can be
locked with a glass showcase lock. On the cold site of the enclosure is a hide
box placed where the snakes live in daytime when not basking under the
spotlight.
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Copyright©2002
Richard Mastenbroek
All
rights reserved. No parts of this website may be reproduced, stored in a
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of the author
This
page is not build to stimulate people to keep venomous snakes. All Captive
information given on this page is based on own experience
