What is the market price of a cobra?
Cobra is the general name for animals of the genus Naja. Although many other snakes also have names that include "cobra" (king cobra, water cobra), they are not classified in this genus because of insufficient evolutionary relatedness. At present there are more than 20 confirmed species, mainly distributed in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Africa, Indonesia and other places. Let us take a look below at how much a cobra costs!
How much does a cobra cost?
The cobra is currently one of the main bred species, with relatively high breeding value. The market price is mainly determined by breed, quality, market location and other conditions. Snake hatchlings are usually about 30 to 40 yuan each, and adult snakes are about 60 to 120 yuan per jin. At the same time, the price of cobras also has a certain relationship with the season, being higher in winter.
Where do cobras come from?
Cobras have an extremely wide distribution range. They can be found in most warm regions of the world except Europe and Madagascar, and are distributed from southern Africa through southern Asia to the islands of Southeast Asia. In China, cobras are mainly distributed in the south in Yunnan, Guizhou, Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hunan, Fujian, Taiwan, China, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan and other places, and can occasionally be seen in the north as well, especially in large numbers in Yongzhou, Hunan.
Main species of cobras
1. Snouted cobra: The snouted cobra, also called the beaked cobra, was once regarded as a subspecies of the Egyptian cobra and was later elevated to species status. The average adult body length is 150 to 220 cm, with a maximum of 250 cm. Males are usually larger than females. It is distributed in southern Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Eswatini, Zimbabwe, northern South Africa, Botswana and other places.
2. Forest cobra: The forest cobra is a large cobra, with a total length of 1.2 to 2 m and a maximum length of up to 2.7 m. Except for the brown head and neck, the back is black. The belly is yellowish white and mixed with black horizontal stripes. In addition, the lip scales are white with black edges. It feeds on small mammals, frogs, lizards or snakes, and is also good at preying on fish. It is distributed from Senegal in the west to Somalia in the east, southwestern Angola, and eastern South Africa in the south.
3. Chinese cobra: The Chinese cobra is also called the Zhoushan cobra, white-necked crow, baohu, bat snake, flat-necked snake, flat-headed snake, etc. It is a large front-fanged venomous snake. When alarmed, it often raises the front half of its body, flattens and expands its neck, and assumes an attacking posture, while revealing a double-ring "spectacle" pattern on the back of its neck. The body color is generally blackish brown or dark brown, with or without thin white horizontal stripes on the back. The total length of an adult snake is 1.5 to 2 m. It is distributed in southern China, Taiwan, China and the low- and mid-altitude areas of the Indochinese Peninsula.
4. Egyptian cobra: The Egyptian cobra is a large venomous snake with a robust body and strong toxicity. Its body length is 1.5 to 2.4 m. It is an organism of the class Reptilia, order Squamata, family Elapidae, genus Naja, mainly distributed in North Africa and the Middle East, and active near the Sahara Desert and the Syrian Desert. Its most notable features are its large head and neck, as well as its broad snout. Its eyes are relatively large compared with those of other snakes, and it has round pupils. The skin folds of the neck can expand to 15 to 18 cm wide.
5. Indian cobra: The Indian cobra is a snake of the family Elapidae, genus Naja, and is also an important representative species of the genus Naja. The Indian cobra is a venomous snake species mainly distributed in the Indian subcontinent, hence its name. The key word in the scientific name of this snake species and the entire genus Naja, "Naja", comes from the Hindu snake deity "Naga".
6. Cape cobra: The Cape cobra, also known as the yellow cobra, has a total length of 1.2 to 1.4 m and is one of the venomous snakes responsible for the most snakebites in Africa. The Cape cobra is active during the day and at dusk each day. It mainly feeds on small mammals and also preys on frogs and lizards. It is distributed in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Lesotho in southern Africa.