Cobra Venom vs Other Snakes: CASE STUDY

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King Cobra
Photo By Hari Prasad (http://www.flickr.com/photos/hpnadig/4517042373/) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Among snakes, cobras and coral snakes may be singled out as having a particularly neurotoxic venom; among other animals, the venom of arachnids also falls into the neurotoxic category. The spitting cobra can spray its venom from a distance of about 2.4 (about 8 ft) into the eyes of its victims, causing temporary blindness and great pain.

Cobra Venom
The Venom Sac and Venom Duct of the Cobra

Cobra Venom coming in contact with human eyes causes an immediate and severe irritation of the conjunctiva and cornea that, if untreated, may result in permanent blindness. The cobra venom, a neurotoxin, acts powerfully on the nervous system. With effective serum more available, however, the high death rate from cobra bites in some areas of Asia has decreased. Cobra Venom has been used for many years in medical research because it has an enzyme, lecithinase, that dissolves cell walls as well as membranes surrounding viruses.

A common misconception is that baby snake are deadlier than adults. While not proven scientifically, it would seem that an adult cobra can control the the amount of venom delivered, if any, with each bite, depending on the threat it feels. A baby snake has no control over the amount of venom delivered by its bite, thus always giving a full dose. A baby cobra is fully able to defend itself in as little as three hours after entering the world. Cobras are completely immune to the venom produced by their species.

COBRA VENOM, AND OTHERS…

Poison of animal origin, usually restricted to poisons that are administered by biting or stinging and used to capture—and, sometimes, aid in digesting—prey, or for defense. Thus the poisons secreted by the skin of some toads, or accumulated in the bodies of numerous inedible animals, are ordinarily not considered venoms. The most familiar venomous animals are certain snakes and insects and the spiders and other arachnids. Venomous species occur throughout the animal kingdom, however, including the mammals. Some shrews, for example, have venomous saliva, and the platypus bears poison spurs on its hind legs.

The severity of a venom’s effects depends on several factors, such as its chemical nature, the stinging or biting mechanism involved, the amount of venom delivered, and the size and condition of the victim. For example, all spiders are venomous, but the venoms of most are too weak or minute in quantity to have noticeable effects on humans; in addition, many spiders cannot even puncture human skin. Thus, few of them are poisonous to humans, but their venoms are quite effective on insect prey. Chemically, venoms vary greatly across the animal kingdom and are not readily defined. Snake venoms, for example, are complex mixtures of enzymatic proteins and different toxins. In terms of their effects, however, they may be broadly categorized as hemotoxic (damaging blood vessels and causing hemorrhage) or neurotoxic (paralyzing nerve centers that control respiration and heart action); they may also contain agents that promote or prevent blood clotting. Sometimes a combination of these effects is involved, however, and variations may occur within genera or even within species. The effects of insect stings are usually the result of histamines that produce local irritation and swelling.

Serums against various venoms can be produced by injecting animals such as horses with sublethal doses and extracting the immune serum, or antivenin, that the animal body produces. Venoms themselves have occasional medicinal uses; for example, some are used as painkillers in cases of arthritis or cancer, and some serve as coagulants for people with hemophilia.

Note the distinction between venomous and poisonous: venomous refers to a creature that has the ability to secrete or utilize it’s venom externally, while poisonous includes creatures that contain a poison substance. Often poisonous creatures are harmless unless eaten. Venomous creatures can often use their poison as a weapon. Cobras are all venomous, yet most are not poisonous, so long as the cobra venom glands are not eaten.

Venom Strength Comparison

NAME OF SNAKE                           QUANTITY VENOM DELIVERED                     LETHAL HUMAN DOSE

VARIOUS COBRAS                                    150-350 mg                                                18-45 mg

VARIOUS SEA SNAKES                                 1-15 mg                                                    2-4mg

INDIAN KRAIT                                              8-20 mg                                                    3 mg

EASTERN CORAL SNAKE                               3-5 mg                                                      4 mg

TIGER SNAKE                                               35-65 mg                                                   3 mg

AUSTRALIAN BROWN SNAKE                          5-10 mg                                                    3 mg

MAMBAS                                                       6-100 mg                                                  12-15 mg

PUFF ADDER                                                  160-200 mg                                              95 mg

GABOON VIPER                                             450-600 mg                                              180 mg

AMERICAN COPPERHEAD                               40-70 mg                                                   100 mg

COTTONMOUTH MOCCASIN                           100-150 mg                                               125 mg

RATTLESNAKES

EASTERN DIAMONDBACK                              400-700 mg                                               100 mg

WESTERN DIAMONDBACK                            200-300 mg                                                100 mg

TIMBER                                                          100-150 mg                                                75 mg

MOJAVE                                                          50-90 mg                                                    15 mg

BUSHMASTER                                                200-400 mg                                                150 mg

Hope you enjoyed this short post on the Cobra Venom, for more fast facts about Cobras click here.

[dropcap type=”1″]·[/dropcap]The Cobra has definitely become the most revered Snake on the planet. It’s not only the Cobra Venom, it’s the snake itself that has become a powerful Brand. A unique brand that portrays fear, awe and strength. It is used by dozens of corporations and organizations, from sport cars, golf clubs, insurance companies and up to the British National Emergencies Committee, called COBRA. There are also hundreds of products that take on the ‘Cobra’ brand, without being afraid.

COOL COBRA PRODUCTS

We’ve collected for you some of the most unique Cobra products, from the snake’s replicas, Cobra Apparel, Gadget design, Jewelery and even some beautiful walking sticks. Let us know what you think, and if you know of any other cool cobra stuff – please let us know!

We begin with the most basic of all. The things we wear…

Cobra Apparel

Cool clothing apparel such as t-shirts, jackets, vests and costumes are immensely popular among the young and old. We are all seeking for unique items to wear. Items that embody awe-inspiring powers of Cobra. The T-shirts made by Mountain Men and Wellcoda definitely complete that task. The cool Cobra Jacket and Cobra Vest are a great accessory for any bike rider, and the cute Cobra Costume is perfect for snake-loving kids.

 CLICK each Image for more info! CLICK the text at the bottom of each Image to get it directly at AMAZON.COM.  

Cobra Replicas

These stunning Cobra replicas and figurines bring the cobra fantasy and legend into life. There are Cobras made of rubber, stone resin, wood and even a bronzed Cobra. Some are used as great scary pranks in halloween, while others are used as statues of the most amazing snake in the world.

CLICK each Image for more info! CLICK the text at the bottom of each Image to get it directly at AMAZON.COM.  

Cobra Gadget Design

Since the computer revolution started, cases for smartphones, pads or laptops have been growing in popularity for years. It was perfectly natural that snake lovers would find their favorite creatures on these cases as well. There are cases for the iPhone, iPad and Samsung devices…

CLICK each Image for more info! CLICK the text at the bottom of each Image to get it directly at AMAZON.COM.  

Cobra Jewelery

The incredible admiration to the Cobra and it’s mystique powers began thousands of years ago, when people used to decorate their bodies with Cobra designed Jewelry. They believed that wearing cobra artifacts would provide them with the snake’s powers. Today, people are still searching for these same powers. We can find different sorts of Cobra Jewelry such as necklaces, rings, earrings and pendants. Take a look…

CLICK each Image for more info! CLICK the text at the bottom of each Image to get it directly at AMAZON.COM.  

And least but not last, there are also dozens of Cobra products for the old among us, such as these beautiful Cobra Walking sticks…

CLICK HERE TO LEARN EVEN MORE!

For those of you who want even more detailed information about Cobras and other Snakes, we highly recommend the comprehensive encyclopedia about snakes, “The New Encyclopedia of Snakes”, available on Amazon.com. Click on the Book image on the left to get more details!

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