Elapidae

Elapidae, or elapids, is a taxonomical family of snakes, most of which are very dangerous for humans. They have immovable fangs located at the front of the upper jaw. Their bites are of medical significance as their glands produce powerful neurotoxic venom, which can cause death quickly if untreated.

Genera and Species

The family Elapidae include around 50 genera and 375 species, which are distributed world-wide in tropical regions. They comprise the mambas (Dendroaspis), which are found in Africa, the cobras, the King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah), the coral snakes, the Australian brown snakes and taipans (Oxyuranus), sea snakes (Hydrophiinae), kraits (Bungarus), and African garter snakes. All African land elapids belong in turn to the sub-family Elapinae. The sub-family Hydrophiinae consist of the Yellow-bellied sea snake and the Australian terrestrial elapids.

Physical Characteristics

The great majority of elapids snakes have long, slender body. Their scales are smooth and usually smaller in size than those of the family Viperidae. They have round eye pupils and their heads are covered by very large scales or shields, being rather elongated and not triangular, as is the case with the viper snakes. Some of them have hood, which they spread out when they feel threatened. Many of them are burrowers, some live on grassy plains, such as the African savanna, others are arboreal. Their females are oviparous, meaning that they lay eggs. Most of them are diurnal (active during the day).

Below, a famous member of the family Elapidae; a cobra, one species from Africa in this case.