False Water Cobra
The false water cobra is one of the world’s largest snakes, growing up to 2 feet long. It lives in tropical regions around the globe, from South America to Africa to Southeast Asia. This species is actually a subspecies of the true water cobra, which grows much larger. False water cobras live near rivers and lakes, where they hunt fish, frogs, crayfish, crabs, and even small mammals like mice. They are active during night hours and feed primarily on aquatic prey.
False Water Cobra Scientific Classification
The false water cobra is a snake native to South Africa. They are found throughout southern Africa, including Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, Lesotho, and South Africa. There are no known subspecies.
A false water cobra can grow up to 3 feet long and weigh up to 2 pounds. Their color ranges from light brown to dark gray, depending on age and gender. False water cobras eat small mammals such as rodents, birds and reptiles.
False Water Cobra Conservation Status
The false water cobra is a venomous snake found in South Africa. These snakes are often mistaken for black mambas because of their similar coloring. They are actually harmless and do not pose a threat to humans. In fact, there are no known cases of people being bitten by one. However, they are highly aggressive and territorial. If you find a false water cobra, it is best to avoid approaching it. You could end up getting stung.
False Water Cobra Facts
The false water cobra is one of six species of true cobras found in Africa. They are typically found near lakes and rivers, where they feed on fish, frogs, and crayfish. Their diet consists mainly of small vertebrates, although larger prey items such as rodents, lizards, and even crocodiles have been recorded.
Like most snakes, the false water cobra is venomous. However, it does not deliver enough poison to kill humans. In fact, bites from false water cobras are usually minor and pose no real threat.
There are several color morphs of the false water cobra, including lavender! This type of snake is often confused with the black mamba because of their similar coloring, especially since both are highly poisonous.
False Water Cobra Amazing Facts
The false water cobra is one of the deadliest snake species in Africa. They live in tropical regions around lakes and rivers, and prefer shallow waters. The snake is named after its habit of swimming near the surface of bodies of water.
In addition to being deadly, false water cobras are fascinating creatures. They have a unique appearance because they have no scales. Instead, they have small bumps called papillae. These bumps give them a rough texture, and help them camouflage themselves against the background of their habitat.
This species produces 0.-50microliters in liquid venom, and 1.3mg of solid venom. Its bite contains neurotoxins, hemotoxins, myotoxins, and cytotoxins. These toxins cause swelling, discomfort, and muscle paralysis, and inhibit blood clotting.
False water cobras are known to produce three different types of venom. Their venoms contain proteins that act as anticoagulants, causing bleeding. Another type of protein found in their venom acts like a histamine releaser, causing inflammation. And finally, there are enzymes that break down tissue cells.
They typically feed on fish and frogs, although they occasionally eat smaller animals such as lizards and birds. When threatened, false water cobras swim away quickly, often hiding under logs or rocks where they wait for prey to approach again.
Where To Find False Water Cobras
False water cobra species include Naja nivea and Naja nigricollis. Both species belong to the family Elapidae. This snake is often found in regions around rivers and lakes. Its diet consists mainly of fish, frogs, lizards, birds, mammals, and invertebrates such as crickets.
The false water cobra is sometimes confused with the true water cobra, another member of the same genus. However, it differs from the true water cobra due to its shorter tail and smaller size. Also, the false water cobra does not have a dorsal fin like the true one.
Scientific Name
The scientific name for the false cobra is Hydrodynamics gigas. This is a common name used by people living in Brazil, where it is known as “cobra de água”. In English, it is called false water cobra, and in Spanish it is called culebra falsa del agua.
Alternate Names
There are multiple alternate names for this snake. They include Brazilian smooth snake, False Cobras, and South American Water Cobra. These names refer to the fact that the snake looks like a cobra, but it does not belong to the same family as true cobras. It is in the class reptile (reptiles), Order squamata (scaled lizards), and snake family colubridae.
Colubridae has 249 Genera. Hydrodynastes Gigas is in the Genus Hydrodynastes and has one other species, HYDODYNASTES BICINTUS.
There are no subspecies. This snake lives in tropical regions of South America.
Population and Conservation Status
The false water cobra, also known as the Asian swamp eel, is one of the most venomous snakes in Asia. They are found in India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Japan and Taiwan. In some parts of Southeast Asia, it is considered a delicacy. A single bite can cause severe pain, paralysis, respiratory failure and death. However, there is no antidote to treat snake bites.
The population of the false water snake is listed as stable according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). This classification is based on data collected over the last decade. The IUCN says that while the number of individuals is declining, the overall trend is stabilizing.
Appearance and Description
The false water cobra seems initially to resemble a true cobra. Both have similar body shapes and colors. They both raise their hoods when threatened. But the false water cobra looks different in several ways. First, it lacks a red throat patch. Second, it doesn’t have the red markings on its head like a true cobra. Third, it usually has a pale belly, whereas a true cobra has a darker belly. Fourth, it has a distinctive white stripe down its side.
False Water Cobras Are Not True Cobra
A false water cobra is not a true cobra. A true cobra raises its hood high above its head, rearing up vertically. A false water cobra raises its hood horizontally, making it look like a cobra, but it never stands up straight.
There Are Several Other False Water Cobras
In addition to the false water cobra, there are several other types of false water snakes. These include the copperhead and the moccasin.
False Water Cobra Venom: How Dangerous Are They?
The false water cobra is one of the most dangerous snakes found throughout Southeast Asia. It is known to be aggressive toward humans, especially children, but rarely bites people unless provoked. This species is considered harmless to humans; however, some cases of human fatalities have been reported. Most of the deaths occurred during attempts to capture the serpent.
This species is capable of inflicting severe wounds and even death due to its potent neurotoxin. In fact, the average lethal dose of the venom is 0.1 mg/kg. Although there are no reliable data regarding the number of bites inflicted by this species, we know that thousands of individuals die each year from complications related to the bite of this snake.
False Water Cobra Behavior and Humans
The false water cobra is one of the most venomous snakes in the world. However, it does not possess fangs like true cobras do. Instead, it uses its body weight to deliver a painful bite. This snake is native to Southeast Asia and is found throughout India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Australia, and New Caledonia.
This snake is often confused with the king cobra because both are large, black, and live in tropical climates. But there are several key differences between the two. While the king cobra is larger, the false water cobra is much less aggressive and prefers to eat small rodents and frogs. In addition, the false water cobras do not have sharp teeth; instead, they use their long tongue to grasp prey. They feed primarily on lizards, birds, mice, rats, and frogs.
In some parts of South America, people believe that the false water cobra can cure cancer. Because of this belief, people sometimes attempt to sell the snake to doctors as a treatment for cancer. If you find yourself dealing with such a situation, please contact us immediately. We can help you avoid getting scammed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a false water cobra poisonous?
No, it is not poisonous, but it is somewhat venomous.
Are false water cobras good pets?
Yes, they make good pets, and they can be tamed.
How big do false water cobras get?
Males are usually 4-5ft long and females are 6-8 ft long.
Is a false water cobra a cobra?
No, it is not a true cobra, which is a Naja species. It’s not even in the same family, as the cobra is in Elapidae.
Can a false water cobra kill you?
No, its venom is not enough to kill, and it doesn’t have negative or lasting effects unless the snake has been allowed to chew while biting.