The Life of Animals | Philippine Cobra | The Philippine Cobra (Naja philippinensis) is a stocky, highly venomous spitting cobra native to the Philippines. Fairly stockily built. Pattern: adults uniformly light or medium brown, occasionally some lighter variegations; juveniles dark brown, with lighter variegations, sometimes a dark band behind the throat. The Philippine cobra can be found on the islands of Luzon, Mindoro, Catanduanes, Samar, Eastern Samar, Southern Leyte and Masbate.
Philippine Cobra’s habitat include open fields, human settlements and dense jungle. The snake feeds predominantly on small mammals. The venom of the Philippine cobra is a neurotoxin which affects cardiac and respiratory function and can cause neurotoxicity and respiratory paralysis(the postsynaptic neurotoxins interrupt the transmission of nerve signals by binding to the neuro-muscular junctions near the muscles). The symptoms might include headache, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, dizzyness, collapse, convulsions. Complete respiratory failure leads to victim's death. The cobra can spit its venom up to ten feet and cause permanent blindness.
The Philippine cobra has the most potent venom (drop by drop) among the species from the Naja genus.
